ˈrɔɪəl adj. & n. --adj. 1 of or suited to or
worthy of a
king or
queen. 2 in
the service or
under the
patronage of a king or queen. 3 belonging to the king or queen (the royal hands; the royal anger). 4 of the
family of a king or queen. 5 kingly,
majestic,
stately,
splendid. 6 on a
great scale, of
exceptional size or
quality, first-rate (gave us royal
entertainment; in royal spirits;
had a royal time). --n. 1 colloq. a
member of the royal family. 2 a royal
sail or mast. 3 a royal
stag. 4 a size of
paper,
about 620 x 500 mm (25 x 20 in.). 5 (the Royals) the Royal Marines. øRoyal
Air Force the
British air force. royal
assent see ASSENT. royal blue
Brit. a
deep vivid blue. Royal British
Legion a
national association of ex-members of the armed forces, founded in 1921. royal
burgh hist. (in Scotland) a burgh
holding a
charter from the
Crown. Royal
Commission see COMMISSION. royal
duke see DUKE. Royal Engineers the
engineering branch of the British
army. royal family the family to
which a
sovereign belongs. royal
fern a fern, Osmunda regalis,
with huge spreading fronds. royal flush see
FLUSH(3). royal
icing a
hard white icing
made from icing
sugar and egg-whites. Royal
Institution a British
society founded in 1799
for the
diffusion of
scientific knowledge. royal
jelly a
substance secreted by honey-bee workers and
fed by
them to
future queen bees. Royal
Marine a British marine (see MARINE n. 2). royal mast a mast
above a
topgallant mast. Royal
Navy the British navy. royal
oak a sprig of oak
worn on 29
May to
commemorate the
restoration of Charles II (1660),
who hid in an oak
after the
battle of Worcester (1651). royal
plural the
first person plural 'we' used by a
single person. royal road to
way of attaining
without trouble. royal sail a sail above a topgallant sail. Royal Society (in full Royal Society of London) a society founded in 1662 to
promote scientific
discussion. royal stag a stag with a
head of 12 or
more points. royal
standard a
banner bearing royal
heraldic arms. royal
tennis real tennis. Royal
Victorian Chain (in the UK) an
order founded by Edward VII in 1902 and conferred by the sovereign on
special occasions. Royal Victorian Order (in the UK) an order founded by Queen
Victoria in 1896 and conferred usu. for great service rendered to the sovereign. royal
warrant a warrant authorizing a tradesperson to supply goods to a specified royal person. øøroyally adv. [ME f. OF roial f. L regalis REGAL]