| 释义 |
royal, a. and n.|ˈrɔɪəl|
Forms: 4–7 roial (5 -ale), 5–7 roiall (5 -alle); 5–6 royalle, 5–7 royall, -ale, 5– royal.
[a. OF. roial (mod.F. royal):—L. rēgāl-em regal a. In ME. the variants real (a.1) and rial were also in common use.
The French origin of many ME. and early modern uses is shown by the adj. being placed after the noun.]
A. adj.
In a number of Shaksperian passages (see Schmidt) the adj. has a purely contextual meaning, the precise force of which is not always clear.
I.
1. a. Of blood, etc.: Originating from, connected with, a king or line of kings.
c1374Chaucer Troylus i. 435 In hym ne deynede sparen blood royal The fyr of loue. c1386― Knt.'s T. 1018 As they that weren of the blood roial Of Thebes. 1413[see blood n. 10]. 1500–20Dunbar Poems xlviii. 167 Haill, blosome breking out of the blud royall. 1590Spenser F.Q. i. i. 5 She..by descent from Royall lynage came Of ancient Kinges and Queenes. 1665Manley Grotius' Low C. Wars 321 One was sent to govern them that was of Royal Blood, and by Kinred allyed to the King. 1667Milton P.L. xii. 325 Of the Royal Stock Of David..shall rise A Son. 1737Gentl. Mag. VII. 499/2 Endeavouring to alienate the Affections of the People from the Royal Family. 1749Gray Installat. Ode 37 High potentates, and dames of royal birth. 1841Elphinstone Hist. Ind. II. 271 His house, alone, of the Rájpút royal families, has rejected all matrimonial connections with the kings of Delhi. 1871Burke's Peerage 836 This ducal house [of Norfolk] stands, next to the blood-royal, at the head of the peerage of England.
Comb.1607Tourneur Rev. Trag. i. i, Royal-blood monster!
b. Of persons: Having the rank of king or queen; belonging to the royal family.
Royal Highness: see highness n. 2 b. Royal Majesty: see majesty 2. Princess Royal: see princess n. 3.
1513More in Grafton Chron. (1568) II. 767 Which Lordes were..appointed as the kinges nere friends to the tuition of his royall person. 1535Lyndesay Satyre 177, I am ane sportour and playfeir To that Royall ȝoung King. 1591Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, v. ii. 4 Then march to Paris, Royall Charles of France. 1606― Ant. & Cl. v. ii. 321 It is well done, and fitting for a Princesse Descended of so many Royall Kings. 1655Nicholas Papers (Camden) II. 182 The first word that her highnesse Royale euer heard of it. 1765Blackstone Comm. I. 225 The prince of Wales,..and also his royal consort, and the princess royal. 1788Gibbon Decl. & F. xlix. V. 146 The royal youth was commanded to take the crown from the altar. 1809Wordsw. Sonnet, Call not the royal Swede unfortunate, Who never did to Fortune bend the knee. 1838Lytton Leila ii. i, The small grey eyes of the friar wandered over each of his royal companions with a..penetrating glance.
transf.1526Tindale 1 Peter ii. 9 But ye are a chosen generacion, a royall presthod, an holy nacion, and a peculiar peple. 1837Newman Par. Serm. III. xvii. 272 The royal dynasty of the Apostles is far older than all the kingly families which are now on the earth.
c. Of parts of the body.
1598Shakes. L.L.L. iv. ii. 146 (Q.1), Deliuer this Paper Into the royall hand of the King. 1611Bible Transl. Pref. ⁋3 His Royall heart was not daunted. 1625in Rushw. Hist. Coll. (1659) I. 206 God in his mercy soon repair this breach by your Royal head. 1865Ruskin Sesame ii. §87 The power of the royal hand that heals in touching.
transf.1698Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 176 [A tiger] Disrobed of its Royal Hide.
2. a. Of rank, etc.: Of or pertaining to a sovereign, or the dignity or office of a sovereign.
In quots. under (a) the adj. follows the n.
(a)c1374Chaucer Troylus i. 435 Myn estat royal here I resigne In-to hire hond. c1430Lydg. Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 25 Where is Pirrus, that was lord and sire Of Ynd, in his estate royall? 1514Barclay Cytizen & Uplondyshm. (Percy Soc.) 17 From cotes, & houses pastorall, They have ascended to dygnyte royall. 1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 193 The Empresse keepeth hir estate royall. 1600E. Blount tr. Conestaggio 250 In a manner exempte from the iurisdiction royall. 1683Chas. II in Var. Collect., Hist. MSS. Comm. IV. 194 By the authority of our Power Royall to be executed in such order..as We think most convenient.
(b)c1460Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. vii. (1885) 125 Other suche nobell and grete costes, as bisitith is roiall mageste. 1475Bk. Noblesse (Roxb.) 7 Conquest or victorie by violence or by roialle power. 1523[Coverdale] Old God (1534) G ij, Sechinge and goynge about to get royall & proude tytles. 1593Shakes. Rich. II, ii. i. 120 By my Seates right Royall Maiestie. 1667Milton P.L. ii. 1 On a Throne of Royal State, which far Outshon the wealth of Ormus and of Ind. 1681–6J. Scott Chr. Life (1747) III. 202 By all which it is abundantly evident that Christ hath a royal Power delegated to him from the Father. 1784Cowper Task v. 551 His [God's] other gifts All bear the royal stamp that speaks them his. 1815Elphinstone Acc. Caubul (1842) II. 257 These divisions..have fallen off from the royal authority, in a greater proportion than those under the Haukims.
b. So of insignia or emblems of royalty.
1422tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 200 Of this Came tythynges to the kynge of the Cite, and he anoone arose fro his roial Siege. c1450Merlin iii. 42 When thei of the portes saugh the baners roiall of kynge Constance, thei hadden grete merveile. a1533Ld. Berners Huon xlii. 141 Thou art not worthy to sytt in a sete royall. 1593Shakes. Rich. II, ii. i. 40 This royall Throne of Kings, this sceptred Isle,..this England. 1611Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xv. §52. 632/1 Before him in gold and glorious colours the Royall Standard was borne. 1674Brevint Saul at Endor 63 The Gift of Miracles being to Teachers, what both Credential Letters and Roial Colors are to public Officers. 1708J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. (1710) 56 The Royal Arms of Scotland. Ibid., Her Majesty's Royal Motto. 1715Lond. Gaz. No. 5310/1 The Royal Standard was display'd. 1832Macaulay Armada 20 As slow upon the labouring wind the royal blazon swells. 1844Regul. & Ord. Army 36 Every ship and vessel of war meeting her shall fire a Royal Salute. 1899Daily News 2 Dec. 6/6 Ermine is especially useful. The two sketches given here show modes of introducing the royal fur.
c. Of persons: In the service of the king or sovereign. Also transf. of pawns in chess.
1648Milton Ps. lxxxv. 13 Before him Righteousness shall go His Royal Harbinger. 1763Sir W. Jones Caissa Wks. 1799 VI. 502 The chief art in the Tacticks of Chess consists in the nice conduct of the royal pawns. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vii. II. 224 Two royal messengers were in attendance during the discussion.
3. a. Belonging to, occupied or used by, a king or kings; forming part of the possessions or property of a sovereign.
1412–20Lydg. Chron. Troy ii. 5636 He was lord of eyr, of lond, & see, Hys royal kyngdam deuidyng into þre. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 25 [He] departed from his manour royall of grenewich the xv. daye of June. 1593Shakes. Rich. II, ii. iv. 45 We are inforc'd to farme our royall Realme. a1618Raleigh Apology 27 If you find it [sc. the mine] Royall,..then let the Serjeant Major repell them. a1676Hale De Jure Maris i. vi. in Hargrave's Law Tracts (1787) I. 36 This great and solemn tryall for the right of a royall river. 1746Francis tr. Horace, Ep. i. xii. 8 Are you with food, and warmth, and raiment blest? Not royal treasures are of more possesst. 1784Cowper Task v. 157 Nor wanted aught within, That royal residence might well befit, For grandeur or for use. 1815J. Mayne Jrnl. 3 Feb. (1909) xi. 270 The Princess of Wales was present, and towards the end of the opera she went round into the royal box. 1820Shelley Œd. Tyr. ii. ii. 111, I am a famous hunter, And can leap..Even the palings of the royal park. 1835Thirlwall Greece vi. I. 169 Most of the great families seem to have resided in the same town which contained the royal mansion. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 583 Royal Yacht, a vessel built and equipped expressly for the use of the sovereign. 1874W. P. Lennox My Recoll. I. iii. 77, I..upon reaching the theatre dismounted, and followed the royal party into the anteroom of the royal box. 1930E. Wallace Lady of Ascot x. 105 Julian had a Royal Enclosure badge, and was the only member of the party possessed of this privilege. 1958Spectator 8 Aug. 201/1 The physicists, who sometimes exercise their sovereignty by barring psychology from the Royal Enclosure of the physical sciences. 1963,1968[see enclosure 4 a]. 1971H. Trevelyan Worlds Apart xxiv. 282 My wife did her part, showing great endurance and invariable good humour, finding herself, while I was in England, on Khruschev's right at a lively dinner in the ‘Royal Box’ in the Bolshoi Theatre during the celebration of Shakespeare's four hundredth anniversary. 1974‘G. Black’ Golden Cockatrice vii. 113 The kind of people who might one day get him into the Royal Enclosure at Ascot.
transf.1768Wildman in Encycl. Brit. (1771) I. 335/1 If this is done..the operator should examine the royal cells. 1835Penny Cycl. IV. 152/1 The royal cells are very different from those of the male or worker. 1899D. Sharp Insects 66 When the denizens of a hive are about to produce another queen, one or more royal cells are formed.
b. royal fish: (see quots. and fish n.1 2).
Cf. Bracton ii. v. 7 (‘balena, sturgio, et alii pisces regales’), Fleta i. xlv, and Britton i. xviii.
1570–6Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 257 Any fish (called a Craspeis, that is,..a great or roiall fishe, as whales, or suche other, which by the Lawe of Prerogative perteined to the King himselfe). 1623Whitbourne Newfoundland 9 The Sea likewise all along that Coast, doe plentifully abound in other sorts of fish, as Whales,..Hogs, Porposes, Seales, and such like royall fish. a1676Hale De Jure Maris i. vii. in Hargrave's Law Tracts (1787) I. 43 These royal fish extended to other than whale and sturgeon, viz. to porpoise, and grampise, or great fish. 1756,1776[see fish n.1 2]. 1818Cruise Digest III. 270 Royal fish consist of whale and sturgeon, to which the King, or those entitled by grant from him, or by prescription, have a right, when either thrown on shore, or caught near the coast. 1843Penny Cycl. XXVII. 290/2 The Dugong is considered by the Malays as a royal fish, and the king has a right to all that are taken. 1883St. James's Gaz. 9 Nov., The term ‘royal fish’ includes the three varieties of sturgeon, whale, and porpoise.
4. Pertaining to the king (or queen) as civil or military head or representative of the state.
Common in special designations, as Royal Artillery, Royal Engineers, Royal Marines, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Navy, etc.
1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, iii. iii. 253 And thou Lord Bourbon, our High Admirall, Shall waft them ouer with our Royall Fleete. 1604E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iv. vii. 226 Not reckoning the Silver..that hath been entred in other roiall custome houses. c1648Milton Sonnet xviii, Cyriack, whose Grandsire on the Royal Bench Of Brittish Themis, with no mean applause Pronounc't. 1667― P.L. i. 677 As when bands Of Pioners with..Pickaxe arm'd Forerun the Royal Camp, to trench a Field. 1748Earthquake Peru i. 58 The Government of the Kingdom depends on that of the Royal Court. 1765Blackstone Comm. I. 408 The method of ordering seamen in the royal fleet. 1592,1769[see navy1 3]. 1786[see artillery n. 5]. 1852Dickens Bleak Ho. xxxiv, I don't care a pinch of snuff for the whole Royal Artillery establishment. 1862Ansted Channel Isl. iv. xxiii. 525 The Royal Court in each of the two principal islands consists of the Bailiff, who presides, and the twelve Jurats. a1865Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. (1867) 583 Royal naval reserve. 1876Voyle & Stevenson Milit. Dict. 471/2 Woolwich..is also the head-quarters of the royal regiment of artillery. 1889[see engineer n. 2 c]. 1911Shipping World 15 Mar. 276/1 The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Burma..is a vessel with considerable claims to notice. 1913[see flying officer s.v. flying vbl. n. 3]. 1918Times 16 Mar. 10/2 It is Our Will and Pleasure that the Air Force to be established pursuant to the said Act shall be styled the ‘Royal Air Force’. Ibid. 28 Nov. 9/3 The three Corps will henceforth be known as the ‘Royal Army Service Corps’, the ‘Royal Army Veterinary Corps’, and the ‘Royal Army Ordnance Corps’. 1922Joyce Ulysses 48 Her fancyman is treating two Royal Dublins in O'Loughlin's of Blackpitts. 1935Ann. Reg. 1934 23 The Minister announced that a new branch of the Territorial Army, under the name of the Royal Defence Corps, was to be formed. 1937Ann. Reg. 1936 65 The King had approved the creation of a new Reserve called the Royal Air Force Reserve, which would be open only to men in civil life. 1943[see R.E.M.E., REME]. 1946Times 10 Dec. 4/4 The King has approved that the following regiments and corps shall in future enjoy the distinction of ‘royal’, their new titles being..Royal Army Educational Corps. Royal Army Dental Corps. Corps of Royal Military Police. Royal Pioneer Corps. 1950Jrnl. R. United Service Inst. XCV. 289 In the same Army Order it was also stated that on transfer to the R.A.C. the R.T.C. would be re-designated Royal Tank Regiment. 1955Times 20 July 8/7 The Queen has approved the promotion of Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands to the honorary rank of Air Vice-Marshal Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, with effect from July 8. 1965Oxford Mail 29 June 1/4 A new Army corps will come into being next month. It is the Royal Corps of Transport made up of the Royal Army Service Corps..the Royal Engineers' transport units and the Movement Control Service.
5. a. Royal Burgh, a Scottish burgh which derives its charter directly from the Crown.
1648Sc. Acts (1872) VI. ii. 83 For erecting of þe samyne [burgh] in ane frie burgh royall. 1672Ibid. (1820) VIII. 77/2 Þat they..be freed in all tyme comeing from beiring burden with the royall burroues. 1693Stair Instit. iv. xlvii. §19 (ed. 2) 726 Bailies of Regality, Bailies of Burghs-Royal, or of Burghs of Regality. 1708J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. ii. ii. ii. 505 These Royal Boroughs are not only several distinct Corporations, but they are also one entire Body, governed by.. one general Court. 1734Treat. Orig. & Progr. Fees 34 That Duty which Burghs-Royal, by their Charters of Erection, owe to the King. 1806Gaz. Scot. Introd. p. xxxiii, The royal boroughs of Scotland also form, as it were, a commercial parliament, which meets once a year at Edinburgh. 1866(title), Records of the Convention of the Royal Burghs of Scotland.
b. Royal Borough, part of the title of three English boroughs (Kensington (and Chelsea), Kingston-upon-Thames, and Windsor) that have a royal connection.
1897Private Life of Queen xxvii. 226 Our Queen..gave the plot of land..to the people of the ‘Royal Borough’ [of Windsor] for a recreation ground. 1901London Gaz. 19 Nov. 7472/2 The King has been pleased to direct Letters Patent to be passed..granting the title ‘Royal’ to the Metropolitan Borough of Kensington, and ordaining and declaring that the said Borough shall henceforth be called and styled the ‘Royal Borough of Kensington’. 1923Victoria Hist. Co. Berkshire III. 56/2 The borough of Windsor..was from the first, as it has since remained, a royal borough, owning no overlord but the King. 1930G. B. Shaw Apple Cart ii. 75 It is my intention to offer myself to the Royal Borough of Windsor as a candidate at the forthcoming General Election. 1975G. Evans Kensington p. xvi, Although the granting of the title ‘Royal’ does not carry with it any special precedence or privilege, there are only three English Boroughs—Kensington, Kingston-upon-Thames..and Windsor—on which the Sovereign has conferred the title. 1976Equals Dec. 8/1 She is one of four Conservative councillors for the St. Mary's ward of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
6. Founded or established by, under the patronage of, a sovereign or royal person.
Royal Society, a Society incorporated by Charles II in 1662 for the pursuit and advancement of the physical sciences. Royal Academy (see Academy 6).
1509Bp. Fisher Funeral Serm. C'tess Richmond Wks. (1876) 308 She that buylded a college royall to the honour of the name of crist Ihesu. 1671Glanvill Further Disc. M. Stubbe 11 A malevolent, envious humour against the Royal Society, and its Friends. 1759in Hodges & Hughes Sel. Naval Documents (1927) 135 Whereas Mr. Nathaniel Peacock has been educated in the Royal Academy at Portsmouth, and is well qualified to serve His Majesty at sea. 1769Ann. Reg., Chron. 106/2 The Royal Academicks gave an entertainment at their house in Pall-Mall. 1784Cowper Tiroc. 503 Shall royal institutions miss the bays, And small academies win all the praise? 1802James Milit. Dict. s.v. Academy, We have in England two royal military academies, one at Woolwich, and one at Portsmouth. 1834Times 25 Jan. 5/3 The mayor and other members were willing to show proper deference to the Royal commission. 1865Ruskin Sesame i. §49, I hope it will not be long before royal or national libraries will be founded in every considerable city. 1871[see commission n.1 6]. 1873London Gaz. 21 Jan. 265/1 We do therefore beg leave to recommend that your Majesty will be graciously pleased, by your Order in Council, to approve of the closing of the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth, and the founding of a College at Greenwich, to be styled ‘The Royal Naval College’. 1886Pascoe London of To-day xxv. (ed. 3) 233 One of the so-called royal hospitals of London. 1894Times 19 May 7/3 A report by Mr. R. Hunter Pringle, Assistant-Commissioner to the Royal Commission on Agriculture, has been laid before Parliament. 1907Times 9 Mar. 12/2 The ninth annual dinner of the Automobile Club was held..last evening... The chairman announced that a letter had been received from the Home Office stating that his Majesty had been pleased to command that the club should be henceforth known as the Royal Automobile Club. 1926Daily Chron. 13 May 1/7 The proposals in this direction tentatively made in the report of the Royal Commission should be pressed and the powers of the proposed board enlarged. 1926Encycl. Brit. II. 1020/1 The constant vigilance and activity of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Selborne Society have secured legislative and administrative protection for birds. 1927T. M. Longstreth Silent Force 344 We are members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police..and I'm going to seize your ship and cargo. 1928Times 24 May 11/4 The Royal Colonial Institute, which celebrates its diamond jubilee this year, has decided to change its name to ‘The Royal Empire Society’. 1930[see National Trust s.v. national a. 5]. 1955Times 15 June 8/7 The executive committee of the Royal Automobile Club, which is responsible for the conduct of motor races in the United Kingdom, is to meet to-day. 1958Times 9 May 7/7 The Queen has approved, by Order in Council, that henceforth the Royal Empire Society shall be known as the Royal Commonwealth Society. 1965Listener 17 June 892/6 Three royal commissions are at this moment examining the general parts of the local government body. 1971Whitaker's Almanack 1972 1098/2 Royal British Legion, Headquarters, Pall Mall, S.W.1. 1976Fundy Tourist (St. Stephen, New Brunswick) 1 July 1/1 The Royal Canadian Mounted Police—the words conjure up visions of red knights on slick black steeds. 1977R.A.F. News 11–24 May 5/6 The collection..in aid of the Warboys Branch of the Royal British Legion Honorary Association. 1977Western Morning News 1 Sept. 6/1 The following..adhere to a code of conduct laid down by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. 1980Brit. Med. Jrnl. 29 Mar. 925/1 The obvious and only course of action was a Royal Commission.
7. a. Proceeding from, performed by, a (or the) sovereign.
1611Bible 1 Kings x. 13 Besides that which Solomon gaue her of his royall bountie. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. iv. 86 By all your good leaues Gentlemen; heere Ile make My royall choyce. 1704J. Harris Lex. Techn. I, Royal Assent, is that Assent which the King gives to a thing formerly done by others, to the Election of a Bishop by Dean and Chapter. 1708J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. (1710) 54 When he shall please in his Royal Progresses to visit these parts. 1780T. Davies Life David Garrick I. xvi. 180 The king was prevailed upon to give a kind of sanction to this entertainment, by a royal command, on the first night of representation. 1784Cowper Tiroc. 416 The royal letters are a thing of course—A king, that would, might recommend his horse. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 592 A building which had been honoured by several royal visits. 1861Chambers's Encycl. II. 229/1 In 1556..the Stationers' Company of London was constituted by royal charter. 1863[see assent n. 2]. 1869Bradshaw's Railway Manual XXI. 298 The Fusion Bill..was..carried through both Houses of Parliament and received the Royal assent on the 31st of July. 1876Voyle & Stevenson Milit. Dict. 354/1 Royal warrants, where the army is concerned, relate to all matters touching the soldier. 1976Times 1 Sept. (Fashion Suppl.) p. ii/5 Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies, both royal warrant holders.
b. Of the king or sovereign.
1821–2Shelley Chas. I, i. i. 117 You torch-bearers..attend the Marshal of the Masque Into the Royal presence. 1845Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 25 His innocence, however manifest, could not save him from the royal vengeance. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. vii. II. 219 A proof that the dominion of the Jesuits over the royal mind was absolute.
II.
8. a. Befitting, appropriate to, a sovereign; esp. stately, magnificent, splendid. Also applied to the use of the plural pronoun ‘we’ by a single person to denote himself. Cf. we pron. 2 a.
c1386Chaucer Sqr.'s T. 59 This Cambynskan..In roial vestiment sit on his deys. a1400Sqr. lowe Degre 94 In her oryall there she was, Closed well with royall glas. c1430Syr Gener. 2534 He wedded hir with grete solemnitie; A royaler fest did neuer man see. 1470–85Malory Morte Arth. vii. ii. 215 The kynge helde hit [the feast] att Carlyon in the moost royallest wyse. 1534More Treat. Passion Wks. 1286/2 Thus say they,..God tooke from the posteritye of Adam, the roiall duchye, that is to wytte the ioyes of heauen. 1542Udall Erasm. Apoph. 345 Some folkes..esteme feastes whiche are drawen of a greate length..to bee royall deintie geare. 1601Shakes. Twel. N. ii. iii. 187 Sport royall I warrant you. 1607― Timon iii. vi. 56 Royall Cheare, I warrant you. 1652Crashaw Carmen Deo Nostro Wks. (1904) 247 Rich, Royall food! Bountyfull Bread! 1702N. Rowe Tamerlane iv. i. 1614 Is this the Royal Usage, thou didst boast? 1835[see we pron. 2 a]. 1931N. & Q. 6 June 414/1 The writer uses ‘we’ throughout—rather unfortunately, as one is sometimes in doubt whether it is a sort of ‘royal’ plural, indicating only himself, or denotes himself and companions. 1960J. Rae Custard Boys ii. xv. 175 ‘In the absence of the accused we will continue with the trial.’.. He used the royal ‘we’, but he spoke for us all. 1964R. H. Robins Gen. Linguistics vii. 287 Somewhat similar is the use of the ‘royal we’; in strictly ceremonial circumstances reigning sovereigns in some countries (of which Great Britain is one) use what are otherwise first person plural pronouns in reference to themselves in their official or constitutional capacity. 1966J. Cleary High Commissioner ii. 26 ‘May we ask whom you wish to see?’ Monarchs and butlers, Malone thought: who else has the right to speak in the royal plural? 1975M. Babson There must be Some Mistake i. 1 ‘We simply can't take it in,’ Lydia drawled, her ‘we’ not only royal, but universal.
b. Finely arrayed; resplendent; grand or imposing.
c1420Anturs of Arth. 332 All þat royalle rowte to þe qwene ryds. c1440York Myst. xvii. 43 A sodayne sight was till vs sente, A royall sterne þat rose or day Before vs on the firmament. 1500–20Dunbar Poems lxxvii. 53 Thair lady..was convoyed with ane royall routt Off gryt barrounes. 1613Shakes. Hen. VIII, iv. i. 37 A Royall Traine beleeue me. 1871R. Browning Pr. Hohenst. 1143 Those happy heights where many a cloud Combined to give you birth and bid you be The royalest of rivers. 1892Sladen Japs at Home xxvi, Nikko with its..awestruck pilgrims, and its shrines, royal of the royal.
c. Having rank comparable to that of a king. Also fig. (in quot. 1526 tr. Gr. βασιλικός).
c1386Chaucer Sir Thopas 136 And gestours for to telle tales..Of Romances that been Roiales [v.r. reales]. 1526Tindale Jas. ii. 8 Yf ye fulfill the royall lawe accordynge to the scripture which sayth: Thou shalt love thyne neghbour as thy silfe, ye do wele. 1593G. Harvey New Lett. Wks. (Grosart) I. 265 An immortall Memoriall as some noble and royall witts haue bestowed vpon the euer-renowned Lepanto. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. iii. ii. 242 How doth that royal Merchant good Antonio? 1624Massinger Renegado ii. iv, Like a Royal Marchant to returne Your great magnificence. 1725Family Dict. s.v. Sweet-Basil, It worthily deserving to be term'd a Royal Plant, from its fragrant Smell and great Vertues.
d. colloq. Noble, splendid, first-rate. Also (chiefly U.S. colloq.) used as an intensifier, freq. with ironic force.
1583Leg. Bp. St. Androis 703 Ane porter..to the bischop his blissing gave, Betuixt the schoulders a royall route.
1853Kane Grinnell Exped. xxx. (1856) 261 The wind blowing a royal breeze, but gently. 1883F. M. Crawford Dr. Claudius xix, And they cantered away in royal spirits. 1890Cent. Mag. Nov. 105 The soldiers..have given to woman's loyalty and ministrations a ‘royal three times three’. 1938G. Greene Brighton Rock iii. i. 99 She remembered: a face in a bar. She had a royal memory. 1951J. D. Salinger Catcher in Rye iv. 27 He gave out a big yawn while he said that. Which is something that gives me a royal pain in the ass. I mean if someone yawns right while they're asking you to do them a goddam favor. 1960Wentworth & Flexner Dict. Amer. Slang 435/1 Royal... Used as a term of emphasis, esp. before taboo words and expressions, most freq. in ‘a royal screwing’. 1972Dict. Contemp. & Colloq. Usage 24/2 Royal screw (fuck),..an ultimate or complete put-down; total failure where success was expected; an unmitigated defeat or deception. 1976Times Lit. Suppl. 9 July 841/2 Life principle Elspeth may be, but she is also a royal pain in the neck. 1977C. McFadden Serial x. 26/2 Kate had been Harvey's idea of a royal Bengal pain in the ass for the last year.
9. a. Of persons: Having the character proper to a king; noble, majestic; generous, munificent.
14..Lydg. in Pol., Rel., & Love P. (1901) 52, I founde a liknesse depict vpon a wall, Armyd in vertues,..The hede of thre, full solempne and roiall, Intellectus, memorye, and resoune. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, i. ii. 245 That braue Prince,..Yong, Valiant, Wise, and (no doubt) right Royal. 1601― Jul. C. iii. i. 127 Cæsar was Mighty, Bold, Royall, and Louing. 1616Rich Cabinet 54 Hee..can readily recount, what a royall house-keeper his great grandfather was in euery particular. 1861May Const. Hist. I. i. (1863) 50 Louis the Great himself could not have been more royal:—he..felt himself every inch a king.
b. Said of animals or birds. (Cf. 13.)
c1430Lydg. Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 23 The royall lyon lete call a parlement. Ibid. 151 The royalle egle with his fetherys dunne. 1562Legh Armory (1597) 60 Plinie writeth that the Cocke is the royallest birde that is, and of him selfe a king. 1873Browning Red Cotton Night-Cap Country 1404 A stag-hunt gives the royal creature law.
c. Of character, feelings, etc.
1565Cooper Thesaurus, Animus regalis, a royal harte. 1600Shakes. A.Y.L. iv. iii. 118 'Tis The royall disposition of that beast To prey on nothing, that doth seeme as dead. 1625K. Long tr. Barclay's Argenis v. i. 325 It was the royallest bounty, to give presently. 1704Trapp Abra-Mulé iii. i. 1060 Now you're indeed a Prince: 'Tis Royal Anger, But Threats do nothing. 1781Cowper Retirement 774 No womanish or wailing grief has part, No, not a moment, in his royal heart. 1843Longfellow Spanish Student i. i, Her step was royal,—queen-like. 1865Carlyle Fredk. Gt. V. xviii. iii. 71 Pitt's bearing, in this grand juncture and crisis, is royal.
10. In various military and related uses, denoting something on a grand scale, or of great size or strength:
a. battle royal (see battle n. 3); also † joust royal, siege royal, voyage royal; royal war.
c1489Caxton Sonnes of Aymon xvii. 396 To see where he myghte best pitche his tentes and his pavylions, for to kepe sege royall afore the castell of Mountalban. 1494Lett. Rich. III & Hen. VII (Rolls) I. 394 The justys roiaulx in the kyngis palaice of Westmester. 1594Shakes. Rich. III, iv. iv. 538 Away towards Salsbury, while we reason here, A Royall batteil might be wonne and lost. 1601R. Johnson Kingd. & Commonw. 141 They are able to raise or vnder⁓take any voyage royall. 1602Ld. Mountjoy Let. in Moryson Itin. (1617) ii. 214 Such necessaries as your Lordships were perswaded were onely fit for a more royall warre. 1672–1860 [see battle n. 3].
†b. army royal or royal army (see quot. 1731). camp royal (see camp n.2 2 c). Also battalion royal. Obs.
a1548Hall Chron., Hen. IV, 15 An armye royall appoyncted with all spede to inuade England. 1590Sir J. Smyth Disc. Weapons 10 b, They do discouer that they haue very seldome or neuer seene an Armie royall march in the field. 1602Marston Ant. & Mel. iii. Wks. 1856 I. 33 He who hath that hath a battalion Royal, armour of proofe. 1617Moryson Itin. ii. 69 The weakning of the royallest Army that ever went out of England. 1728Chambers Cycl. s.v., A Governor who has the assurance to hold out a petty Place against a Royal Army. 1731Bailey (vol. II), Royal Army, is an army marching with heavy cannon, capable of besieging a strong, well-fortified city.
†c. royal bastion, royal fort (see fort-royal), royal parapet. Also lists royal. Obs.
a1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV, 8 The kyng..caused lystes royall for the champions..to be newly erected. 1642Hexham Art Mil. (ed. 2) ii. 54 A small Fort Royall, where the proportion of the Polygones are of 55, 50, or 45 rodd. 1665Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 89, It is as Royal a Fort as any in India. 1704J. Harris Lex. Techn. I, Royal Parapet, or, Parapet of the Rampire, in Fortification, is a Bank about three Fathoms broad, and six Foot high, placed upon the Brink of the Rampire. 1721De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 183 Seven royal bastions, with ravelins and outworks.
d. † cannon royal (see cannon n.1 2). royal mortar (see quot. 1867).
[a1575Diurn. Occurr. (Bann.) 330 Ane cannone ryell.] 1687A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 8 Upon this Bastion there is a fair Basilick, or Canon-Royal. 1728Chambers Cycl. s.v. Cannon, Cannon royal;..Weight..8000lib. Length..12 Feet. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 583 Royal Mortar, a brass one of 5½ inches diameter of bore, and 150 lbs. weight, throwing a 24-pounder shell up to 600 yards.
11. a. royal paper, † paper royal, paper of a size measuring 24 by 19 inches as used for writing and 25 by 20 for printing. (Cf. rial a. 4.)
(a)1497Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 128 A reame of paper roiall. 1529in Trevelyan Papers (Camden) 139 To a Stacyoner, for vj bokes of paper royall. 1583Rates of Customs D vj, Paper royall the reme. 1630J. Taylor (Water-P.) Wks. (N.), His shirt may be transform'd to paper-royall. 1669Sturmy Mariner's Mag. v. xii. 63 Cartredges are usually made of Canvas and Paper-Royal.
(b)1578in Feuillerat Revels Q. Eliz. (1908) 296, iiii quire of Royall paper. 1601Holland Pliny xiii. xii, That kind which was called Macrocola, or large Roiall Paper. 1659Gauden Tears Ch. 45 As a church in folio; as a fair book of royall paper. 1710Addison Tatler No. 216 ⁋12, I bequeath my English Weeds pasted on Royal Paper. 1786Cowper Wks. (1837) XV. 187 You will observe that they have all made the full payment, and all subscribe for royal paper.
ellipt.1712Lond. Gaz. No. 5018/3 For all Paper called..Royal fine.., fine Holland Royal.., Blue Royal.., Genoa Royal. 1855R. Herring Paper & P. Making 103 Middle Hand, 22 by 16;..Royal Hand, 20 by 25.
b. Hence royal folio, royal quarto, royal octavo, † royal sheet.
1673Term Catal. 7 Feb. (1902) I. 132 A new Map of England in a Royal Sheet. 1797Monthly Mag. III. 59 It will be comprized in three or more volumes. royal quarto. 1873Morley First Sk. Eng. Lit. (1892) 508 In 1611 he published, in royal folio, his Chronicle. 1877Quaritch's Gen. Catal. 907 Cureton (W.) Spicilegium Syriacum.., roy. 8vo. cloth.
12. Naut.
a. royal sail, a small sail hoisted above the topgallant sail.
1769Falconer Dict. Marine App. (1780), Boulingue, the royal-sail. 1794Rigging & Seamanship 135 Royal Staysails..are the same as a top-gallant-staysail, only with one or two cloths less, and are hoisted next above them. 1858Merc. Mar. Mag. V. 354 Royal and top-gallant sails in.
b. royal mast: (see quot. 1867). Also royal pole (quot. 1899).
1794Rigging & Seamanship 16 Royal Masts line similar to the stump-head of topgallant masts... They are seldom used. 1820W. Scoresby Acc. Arct. Reg. II. 197 It is usual to take down royal masts. 1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 471 Royal-mast, a yet smaller mast, elevated through irons at the head of the topgallant-mast; but more generally the two are formed of one spar. 1899F. T. Bullen Log of Sea-waif 192 Like all American-built ships, we carried very long ‘royal poles’, or bare tapering extensions of the masts above the highest part of the rigging.
attrib.1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast ii, I took my bucket of grease and climbed up to the royal-mast-head.
13. a. In names of birds, as royal cuckoo, royal duck, royal eagle, † royal milan, royal tern, royal tody.
1575Turberv. Falconrie 41 The Eagle royall, which is the yellow and tawnie Eagle,..doth as muche differ from the yellowe Eagle, as the blacke Mylion doth from the Mylion Royall. 1728Chambers Cycl. s.v. Eagle, Eagle-Royal. 1787Latham Gen. Synop. Birds Suppl. II. 349 Royal Duck. 1792Shaw Mus. Leverianum 167 The Royal Cuckow (Cuculus regius). 1809― Gen. Zool. VII. i. 56 Royal Eagle, Falco regalis. 1811Pinkerton Mod. Geogr. (ed. 3) 701 The brilliant plumes of the royal goose do not save it from destruction, the flesh being exquisite. 1812Shaw Gen. Zool. VIII. i. 124 Royal Tody, Todus regius. 1872Coues N. Amer. Birds 319 Royal Tern. Bill Orange. Mantle pearly grayish-blue.
b. In specific names of insects, reptiles, etc., as royal leopard, royal mantle; royal boa, royal python; royal monkey, royal tiger (see quots.); royal antelope, a tiny antelope, Neotragus pygmæus, found in forested areas of West Africa; royal Bengal (tiger), an Indian variety of the tiger, Panthera tigris, distinguished by unbroken stripes.
For cygnet and hart royal see the ns. royal stag: see royal n. 3 c.
1711Phil. Trans. XXVII. 344 Two varieties of very curious English Moths, which for their Beauty and Spots are call'd Royal Leopards. 1771T. Pennant Synopsis Quadrupeds 28 Antelope..Royal..with very short strait horns. 1781Pennant Hist. Quadr. 200 Royal [Monkey]. A variety of a ferruginous or reddish bay color, which the Indians call the king of the monkies. 1800Shaw Gen. Zool. I. ii. 344 The largest are those of India, and are termed Royal Tigers. 1802Ibid. III. ii. 347 Royal Boa, Boa Regia. 1815Burrow Conchol. 196 Ostrea, Pallium, Royal Mantle. 1832Rennie Consp. Butterfl. & M. 122 The Royal Mantle..appears in July. 1871E. G. E. Ward Jrnl. 3 June in D. P. Carew Many Years, Many Girls (1967) i. 52 One lady..had arrayed herself in a complete suit of tiger-stripes..so that she looked like a Royal Bengal. 1872Proc. Zool. Soc. 639 The type of the former I believe to have been a genuine specimen of the Royal Antelope. 1876Nature 14 Dec. 150/2 A Royal Python (Python regius)..from West Africa. 1964L. S. Crandall Managem. Wild Mammals in Captivity 675 The royal antelope..was represented in the Zoological Gardens of London in 1914. 1964R. Perry World of Tiger xv. 233 The..very rare Royal Bengal tiger is distinguished by unbroken black stripes.
14. a. In plant-names, as royal bay, royal bracken, royal catch-fly, royal comfrey, royal fern, royal moonwort, royal palm, † royal satyrion, † royal standergrass, royal water-lily. (See also osmund2, palmetto b, peacock n. 6 b.)
1849Craig, *Royal bay, the plant Laurus Indicus, a native of Madeira.
1777Lightfoot Flora Scotica (1792) 653 Flowering Fern, or Osmund Royal. Anglis. *Royal Brachens. Scotis.
1882Garden 28 Oct. 375/2 The *Royal Catchfly,..also with scarlet flowers.
1725Fam. Dict. s.v. Plant, In this Month [July] appear..*Royal Comfrey, Poppies.
1860Lowe Ferns VIII. 7 The *Royal Fern, Osmund Royal, or Flowering Fern, is one of our handsomest British species.
1796Withering Brit. Pl. (ed. 3) III. 763 Osmund Royal. Flowering Fern. *Royal Moon⁓wort.
1890Cent. Dict. s.v. Palm, *Royal palm, Oreodoxa regia of the West Indies and Florida. 1894Max O'Rell J. Bull & Co. 30 The well-named royal palm that raises its tall, straight trunk high into the air.
1578Lyte Dodoens 226 The *royall Satyrions are found in certayne medowes and moyst woodes of England.
Ibid. 225 *Royall Stander⁓grasse or Palma Christi.
1867H. Macmillan Bible Teach. vii. (1870) 148 The gigantic leaf of the *royal water-lily of South America.
b. Applied to special varieties of fruit or vegetables. Royal Ann(e) (U.S.) a variety of bigarreau cherry, having red skin and white flesh, or a tree bearing fruit of this kind; Royal Sovereign, a variety of strawberry or its large, early-ripening fruits.
1620Venner Via Recta vii. 128 The great Royall Walnut doth for wholesomnesse in all respects far exceed the rest. 1706London & Wise Retir'd Gard. 35 The Winter Royal Pear is of a new Date. Ibid. 38 The Royal Peach is of a middle Size. 1707Mortimer Husb. (1721) II. 148 In June and July come on the Royal Bellgards, or Fair Looks..: Others are called Imperial Lettices from their size. 1731Miller Gard. Dict. s.v. Apple Tree, Royal Russetting. Ibid., Devonshire Royal Wilding. c1814Edin. Encycl. XI. 202/2 The Royal George is an excellent peach. Ibid. 209/2 The Royal russet, or leathercoat russet. 1892Proc. R. Hort. Soc. XV. p. lxvii, First Class Certificate. To Strawberry Royal Sovereign (votes, unanimous), from Mr. T. Laxton, Bedford. 1897S. T. Wright Fruit-Culture xviii. 116 For early forcing, Royal Sovereign is a grand acquisition, as it is remarkably early and prolific, with large fruit of excellent quality. 1900L. H. Bailey Cycl. Amer. Hort. I. 293/2 The Napoleon Bigarreau (locally known as Royal Ann) is the ideal for a white cherry. 1930V. R. Gardner Cherry xiii. 111 The outstanding light-fleshed sweet cherry is the Napoleon,—also known as Napoleon Bigarreau and Royal Ann. Indeed it is the one white-fleshed sweet cherry of real commercial importance in the United States. 1941M. L. Smith Going to God's Country iv. 175 It was very beautifull with all the groves of tall fir trees and the Royal Ann cherys. 1946Nature 6 July 24/2 The virus..produces faint chlorotic spots on the leaves of Royal Sovereign strawberry. 1957M. McCarthy Memories Catholic Girlhood viii. 202 Two kinds of cherry trees, black and Royal Anne. 1960B. K. Wilson Lovely Summer i. 11 Slade is going to pick the Royal Sovereigns this afternoon.
15. a. In various special collocations, as royal antler (see B. 3 b); royal arch, one of the degrees of freemasonry; royal bark, a variety of cinchona bark; royal binding (see quot. 1952); † royal bob, gin; royal cocoon (see quot.); royal evil = king's evil; royal flush (see quots.); formerly also = straight flush s.v. straight a. 9 b; royal icing, a hard, shiny icing, the ingredients of which include egg whites; royal jelly: see jelly n.1 2; royal pendulum, poverty, preventive, scamp (see quots.); Royal Scot, a familiar name for the London to Glasgow express; also, the name of the class of locomotive designed to haul this train; Royal Stewart (tartan): (see quot. 1975); also known as dress Stewart or Royal tartan; royal stitch (see quots.); royal straight (flush): in Poker, = royal flush; also fig.; royal suture (see quots.); royal tennis = real tennis s.v. real a.2 4 e.; royal tine (see quots.).
For royal road see road n. 6 c.
1849Craig s.v., *Royal antler, the third branch of the horn of a hart or buck, which shoots out from the rear.
1778Dermott Ahiman Rezon 52 Having..mentioned that Part of Masonry commonly called the *Royal Arch, (which I firmly believe to be the Root, Heart, and Marrow of Free-Masonry). 1823(title), Laws and Regulations, for the Order of Royal Arch Masons. 1869Findel's Hist. Freemasonry (ed. 2) 182 The Royal Arch Degree, now the fourth degree in England, is in its essential elements decidedly French in its origin.
1876Encycl. Brit. V. 782/1 The yellow, *royal, or Calisaya bark.., the produce of Cinchona Calisaya.
1929G. D. Hobson Bindings in Cambr. Libraries 141 More *royal bindings were turned out at this bindery [sc. Samuel Mearne's] than at any other. 1939Guide Exhib. in King's Library (Brit. Mus.) 119 The later royal bindings do not, perhaps, maintain the same high level of excellence. 1952J. Carter ABC for Book-Collectors 157 A book described as being in a ‘royal binding’ may be expected to have a sovereign's arms on one or both covers; but it must not necessarily be supposed that it therefore has a royal provenance.
1729A. Blunt in Tovey Brit. & For. Spirits (1864) 68 Well from thee may it assume The glorious modern name of *Royal Bob. 1770in Masson Chatterton ii. iii. (1874) 163 A person..who had drunk so much royal-bob..that she was now singing herself asleep.
1797Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) XVII. 485/2 The cocoons which are kept for breeding are called *royal cocoons.
1836R. Furness Astrologer ii. Wks. (1858) 150 With the Confessor, touch'd the *royal evil.
1868W. B. Dick Amer. Hoyle (ed. 5) 177 *Royal Flush, a Straight or Sequence, all of the same suit. Ibid. 178 Straight Flush, the same as Royal Flush. 1888B. Matthews Pen & Ink 197 The Straight Flush (called a Royal Flush when it begins with the ace and ends with the ten). Ibid. 198 The Royal Flush is not often seen; like other exalted monarchs it does not make itself common in men's eyes. c1895Thompson Poker Club 6 A Royal Flush—Ace, King, Queen, Jack (or Knave) and Ten Spot of the same suit. 1922[see full house 2].
1845E. Acton Mod. Cookery xvi. 423 (heading) Tourte meringuée, or, tart with *royal icing. 1974Times 13 Nov. 12/5 Royal icing or glacé icing must be made with proper icing sugar.
1851–3Tomlinson's Cycl. Manuf. & Arts s.v. Horology, The most important invention of this period was the anchor escapement... The seconds pendulum with this escapement was called the *royal pendulum.
1726Bailey, *Royal Poverty, a modern Nick-name for the Liquor call'd Geneva or Genevre, because when Beggars are drunk they are as great as Kings.
1858Mayne Expos. Lex., *Royal Preventive,..Name of a quack lotion, being a solution of the acetate of lead.
1796Grose's Dict. Vulg. T., *Royal Scamps, highwaymen who never rob any but rich persons, and that without ill-treating them.
1927Times 27 Sept. 16/2 With the beginning of the winter train service yesterday the London, Midland and Scottish Railway introduced a non-stop run of 2991/4 miles... This run will be made daily by the 10 a.m. *Royal Scot from London to Carlisle, which proceeds to Edinburgh and Glasgow. 1933Triumph of Royal Scot 16 The locomotive which hauled the train throughout the tour was LMS Number 6100 Royal Scot, the first of 50 locomotives of the Royal Scot class to be constructed in 1927. 1942Model Railway News Jan. 9/1 The exhaust steam injector on the ‘Royal Scot’ was omitted on the model. 1953Manch. Guardian 15 Aug. 3/3 Good fortune and the fact that all the coaches were of the new all-steel type reduced casualties when the Royal Scot was derailed near Abington last Saturday. 1977Times 30 Apr. 12/3 On Monday..the Royal Scot is making a celebration run from Euston to Glasgow—50 years..after the first train of that name chugged its way out of London.
1783P. Pott Chirurg. Wks. II. 184 The *royal stitch was performed in this manner: the intestines being emptied,..an incision was made [etc.]. 1849Craig s.v., Royal stitch, an old operation for the cure of inguinal hernia.
1842J. S. Stuart in Vestiarum Scoticum Pl. III (caption) The *Royal Stuart. 1855,1969[see hunting vbl. n. 3 b]. 1975J. Scarlett Scotland's Clans & Tartans 94 The origin of the Royal Stewart tartan is unknown... There is no record of the Royal Stewart sett having borne that name before the nineteenth century—little that it even existed... General Stewart of Garth..stage-managed George IV's visit in 1822 and costumed him in ‘Royal Stewart’.
1895W. Stevens Let. 4 Aug. (1967) 7 Girls charming lots of money but am always open to engagements in finance where I hold a *royal straight. 1907J. C. Harris in Uncle Remus's Mag. Oct. 28/3 The hand I've dealt to you is known as a royal straight flush, an' it sweeps ever' thing before it. 1962R. Cook Crust on its Uppers iii. 40 They're all diamonds, ace, king, queen... Suppose he makes royal straight flush? Ibid. 41 He hasn't made royal straight.
1846F. Brittan tr. Malgaigne's Oper. Surg. 416 The *royal suture. For this the sac was exposed entirely; it was then raised and sewn up by a suture.
1902E. Miles Racquets, Tennis, & Squash v. xi. 270 Note on the name ‘Tennis’.—In Tasmania the game is called *Royal Tennis; in England it is occasionally called Real Tennis; and in America it is always called Court Tennis. 1912G. Inglis Sport & Pastime in Australia xii. 175 Tennis—or Royal Tennis as it is often called in Australia—was first introduced into the Commonwealth by Mr. S. S. Travers about 1875... The Hobart court was originally built by Mr Travers as a private court. In 1882 it was taken over by the ‘Royal Tennis’ Club. 1965New Statesman 6 Aug. 185/1 The royal tennis court, which is enclosed. 1977Times 19 Aug. 12/8 Playing royal tennis at Hampton Court.
1882Jrnl. R. Soc. Bengal LI. ii. 44 Further up the beam is a third snag..; this snag..I take to be analogous to the *royal tine. 1893Lydekker Horns & Hoofs 270 The royal tine is properly the same as the trez-tine.
b. Following the n., as cement royal, cider royal, purl royal; † metre royal = rhyme royal (rhyme n. 2 c).
1548W. Forrest in Starkey's England p. lxxxiii, A notable warke..composed of late in meatre royall by..sir William forrest preeiste. 1684Haines (title), Aphorisms upon The New Way of Improving Cyder, or making Cyder-Royal. 1707Mortimer Husb. (1721) II. 341 By adding Wormwood to Cyder-Royal..you may make it as good..as the best Purl-Royal. 1825J. Nicholson Operat. Mechanic 767 A cement.., composed of 4 parts of bricks powdered..; of one part of green vitriol..; and of one part of common salt... It is called the Cement Royal.
c. With names of colours, as royal blue, royal green, royal purple, royal red.
1661Cowley Cromwell Ess., Plays, etc. (1906) 374 And seventy times in nearest blood he dy'd..his Royal Purple Pride. 1789J. Woodforde Diary 9 Sept. (1927) III. 139, I took 2 Inside Places in the Royal Blue Coach..to London. 1820J. H. Reynolds Fancy (1906) 74 I'm an Officer,..a sailor with old Jervis—A man of royal blue. 1835Field Chromatogr. 111 Royal Blue is a deeper coloured and very beautiful smalt, and is also a vitreous pigment, principally used in painting on glass and enamel. 1881C. C. Harrison Woman's Handiwork i. 61 The cushion-cover..has a ground of royal purple velvet. 1890Pall Mall G. 2 Feb. 4/1 Purple, blood-orange, royal red, and sun colour. 1902Recipes for Colour, Paint, Varnish, Oil, Soap & Drysaltery Trades i. 36 Royal Green. Prussiate of potash..Sulphate of iron, [etc.]. 1913C. L. Uebele Paintmaking & Color Grinding x. 171 Foremost in the line of greens is what we [sc. Americans] call chrome green, which, however, is known on the other side as Brunswick or royal green, an intimate mixture of chrome yellow and Prussian blue. 1951R. Mayer Artist's Hand-bk. Materials & Techniques ii. 60 Royal green, chrome green. 1956G. Durrell My Family & Other Animals 18 The endless, meticulous curves of the sea flamed for an instant and then changed to a deep royal purple flecked with green.
16. Comb., as royal-chartered, royal-hearted, royal-sized, royal-souled, royal-spirited, royal-towered; royal-rich.
1600Breton Strange Fortunes of Two Princes Wks. (Grosart) II. 27/1 This roiall-spirited youth..fell thus to talke to himselfe. 1628Milton Vac. Exerc. 100 Whether thou be the Son Of..Medway smooth, or Royal Towred Thame. 1785Hist. York II. 110 The Company of Linen-Weavers, which is a Royal-chartered Company. 1833Tennyson Pal. Art 191 In this great house so royal-rich, and wide. 1836J. H. Newman in Lyra Apost. (1849) 118 Royal-hearted Athanase, With Paul's own mantle blest. 1883J. Parker Apost. Life II. 69 A great-hearted, royal-souled man. 1974Publishers Weekly 26 Aug. 302/1 A royal-sized volume containing a spectacular gallery of 306 illustrations in full colour.
17. royal-cousin, royal-highness, used as vbs., to address (one) by these titles.
1831E. J. Trelawny Adv. Younger Son cxiii, De Ruyter bantered me about this Princess of Yug, and Royal Highnessed me unceasingly. 1875Tennyson Q. Mary iii. iv, Their two Graces Do so dear-cousin and royal-cousin him.
B. n.
1.
†a. A king or prince. Obs.
c1420Anturs of Arth. 345 Scho rydes vp to þe heghe desse, by-fore þe royalle. c1450Lovelich Grail lv. 260 Alle the Royalles Comen hem vnto, and there to Ioswe diden they homage. c1470Harding Chron. vii. viii, Hercules slough kynge Lamadone, And led awaye the royalles of the towne.
b. colloq. A member of the royal family; a royal personage.
1774[see sub-governess s.v. sub- 6]. 1788F. Burney Diary IV. iv. 169 We were too soon for company, except the Royals. 1807T. Chalmers in Hanna Mem. I. 80, I was conducted..to a room through which the royals pass in their way to the drawing-room. 1894Westm. Gaz. 30 May 6/1 Any allusion to the indisposition of a ‘Royal’ appears to be considered at Court a species of treason.
†2. The name of various coins. Obs.
a. An English gold coin: = rial n.1 3 a. rose royal, = rose-noble.
a1513Fabyan Chron. vii. (1811) 655 This yere, was a newe coyne ordeyned by the Kynge, the whiche was namyd the royall, & was & yet is in value of .x. shillynges, the halfe royall .v. s. 1542Recorde Gr. Artes (1575) 197 A Royall containeth an Angell and a halfe, that is to say: 11s. 3d. 1608Middleton Trick to Catch Old One iii. i, There's a brace of royals; prithee, help me to th' speech of her. 1642Rogers Naaman 392 As much as Crownes or Royalls out⁓bid brasse farthings. 1688[see rose-noble 1].
b. = rial n.1 3 b.
a1513Fabyan Chron. vii. (1811) 471 To pay for euerych of y⊇ sayd thre monethes...x. M. royalles of Fraunce, which at that tyme were in value after the rate of sterlynge money, euery royall .xxi. d. or .xiiii. sous Parys.
c. = real n.1 1, rial n.1 4.
1577–87Holinshed Chron. III. 1211/1 Good store of Spanish roials of plate. 1608Willet Hexapla Exod. 693 Arias Montanus valueth the shekel at foure Spanish royals. 1653Milton Lett. State Wks. 1851 VIII. 306 The Damages..amounting to 298555 Royals ½ which is of our Money—74638l. 15s. 00d. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. 229, I found in this Seaman's Chest about fifty Pieces of Eight in Royals, but no Gold. 1755N. Magens Insurances II. 43 We insure to you N upon Gold and Silver, Royals, and Pearls.
d. = real n.1 2, rial n.1 4 c.
1615G. Sandys Trav. 86 The Sultanies, and especially the Royals of eight,..is what they most seeke for. 1626Sir R. Cotton Sp. Alteration Coyn in Posthuma (1651) 297 The said Royall of Eight runnes in account of Trade at 5.s. of his Majestie's now English money. 1634Sir T. Herbert Trav. 182 A Royall of eight, or foure shillings and foure pence.
e. A name projected, but not adopted, in Great Britain and Australia, for a decimal unit of currency.
1920Rep. R. Comm. Decimal Coinage 11 in Parl. Papers (Cmd. 628) XIII. 467 The second scheme (Lord Leverhulme's) proposes the creation of a new unit of 100 halfpennies to be called a Royal. Ibid. 12 We must regard the halfpenny and Royal scheme as impracticable. 1962A. C. Aitken in Listener 26 Jan. 159/1, I would rectify this..by simply having a pound of a dozen shillings. I will call it a ‘royal’—for that has the proper sound and connotation, and, besides, a stag of twelve points is a ‘royal’. 1963Guardian 6 June 11/2 The Cabinet decided today that Australia's main currency units will be the Royal and the Crown... The royal, equal to 10 of the present Australian shillings, will be subdivided into 100 cents.
3.
†a. The second branch or tine of a stag's horn, lying above the brow-antler. Obs.
[c1410Master of Game (MS. Digby 182) xxiv, Þe reals, þe whiche be þe secunde tyndes, be nere þe aunteleres. 1486see rial n.1 2.] 1576Turberv. Venerie (1908) 238 The lowest Antliere is called The Brow Antliere,..the next Royall. 1611Cotgr., Surendouiller, the royall of a Stag, the Beancler of a Bucke; the second branch on either of their heads. 1623Cockeram i. s.v. Pollard, Royall is the next [start] growing aboue the Broach.
†b. (See quot. 1576.) Obs.
App. a mistake on the part of Turberville.
1576Turberv. Venerie (1908) 54 This fyrst is called Antlier. The second Surantlier. All the rest which growe afterwardes, vntill you come to the crowne, palme, or croche, are called Royals and Surroyals. 1610J. Guillim Her. iii. xiv. 179 Skilfull Wood-men describing the head of a Hart, doe call the..c . Lowest antlier the Browanteliers, d. Next aboue therevnto the Bezanteliers, e. Next aboue that the Royall. 1627J. Taylor (Water-P.) Navy of Landships, Wks. i. 93 As a Hart hath..the Antliers, the Surantlers, the Royals, the Surroyals, and the Croches.
1883Science I. 181/2 The fourth and fifth [tines] correspond somewhat closely to the ‘royal’ and ‘sur-royal’ of the Wapiti.
c. A stag having a head of twelve points or more.
1848Queen Victoria Jrnl. 18 Sept. (1980) 64 A magnificent stag, ‘a royal’, which had dropped, soon after Albert had hit him. 1857Queen Victoria Jrnl. Highlands 6 Oct., He had very fine horns, a royal on one side. 1883Longman's Mag. Nov. 74 A grand eleven-pointer, if not a ‘Royal’, standing out alone.
†4. ellipt. A royal boat or vessel. Obs.—1
1632J. Hayward tr. Biondi's Eromena 40 The Prince taking her for some Pirats ship..commanded the Galley-slaves of his Royall, to row amaine.
5. Naut.
a. A royal sail. Also, a royal mast.
1769Falconer Dict. Mar. (1780), Royal, a name given to the highest sail..in any ship. It is spread..above the top-gallant-sail. 1798E. Berry in Nicolas Disp. Nelson (1845) III. 50 It was necessary to take in the royals when we hauled upon a wind. 1834Marryat P. Simple (1863) 340 We clapped on the royals to follow her. 1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast iv, We spread more canvas than she did, having royals and sky-sails fore and aft. 1937C. S. Forester Happy Return i. i. 10 He had..noted that the wind was from the west, and just strong enough to give the ship steerage way, with all sail set to the royals. 1970Parade (Austral.) June 26/2 The ship must have sunk almost instantly because when she was found two days later, only the top of one of her royals was just visible out of the water.
b. attrib. (also for royal mast).
1839Knickerbocker XIII. 42 Send him some ratlinstuff, so that he can set up brace-backstays abaft, and cross his royal yards, and call all hands up anchor. 1840R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xiv, We were called up at night to send down the royal yards. 1841― Seaman's Man. 11 The royal shrouds..are fitted like those of the top⁓gallant masts. Ibid. 18 The royal clewlines are single. 1927G. Bradford Gloss. Sea Terms 146/1 Royal yard, the next above the topgallant yard.
6. A kind of small mortar (see quot. 1802).
1790Beatson Naval & Mil. Mem. II. 78 The enemy, on their taking possession of Fort St. Phillip's, found..seventy mortars including royals and cohorns. 1802James Milit. Dict., Royals, in artillery, are a kind of small mortars, which carry a shell whose diameter is 5.5 inches.
7. pl.
a. (See quot. 1802.)
1762Cal. Home Office Papers (1878) 168 The King approves of the succession in the Royals on Col. Masterton's retiring. 1802James Milit. Dict. s.v., The First Regiment of Foot..is likewise sometimes called Royal Scotch and Royals. 1840Gen. Mercer in R. J. Macdonald Hist. Dress R.A. (1899) 53 The 1st Royals long retained their queues after every other regiment had discarded them.
b. (See quot. 1867.)
1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 583 Royals, a familiar appellation for the marines since the mutiny of 1797, when they were so distinguished for the loyalty and steadiness they displayed. 1977Navy News June 4/1 Next opportunity for the Hermes and 845 Squadron to work with the Royals was during Exercise Dawn patrol in the first weeks of May.
c. (See quot. 1893.)
1883Sims How the Poor Live xii, His big book with the list of the names of regular men, or ‘Royals’, open before him. 1893Labour Comm. Gloss., Royals, men who get the first chance of dock work, and, like a casual labourer, can be paid or taken on at any time, but receive no week's notice as permanent men do.
8. Short for royal blue.
1885Queen 24 Oct. (Advt.), Ladies' gloves... Shades, Tan, Golden, and Royal. c1900in American Mail Order Fashions (1961) 30 Sweater, made with alternate stripes..of..red and royal, or royal with red stripes. 1922Daily Mail 11 Dec. 1 (Advt.), Beautifully made in Duvetyn or Monchon,..Black, Grey, or Royal. 1939J. B. Priestley Let People Sing iv. 82 It [sc. a van] had been generously rather than neatly painted, in a manly scheme of crimson and royal. 1974Harper's & Queen Sept. 35/1 Crêpe dress. Black, sand, mink, red, emerald or royal.
9. ellipt. for:
a. The Royal Society. Also attrib.
b. The Royal Show (of the Royal Agricultural Society).
1951C. P. Snow Masters v. 45 There's not been a day pass in the last three years when he hasn't reminded me that he is a Fellow of the Royal, and that I am not. Ibid. 49 He would not get into the Royal Society now. But as March came round each year, he waited for the announcement of the Royal elections. 1958Spectator 27 June 829/2 The Royal is the shop-window of British farming. 1966‘W. Cooper’ Mem. New Man ii. vi. 172, I was not agreeing off the cuff that Bill's getting into the Royal would necessarily enhance his prospects. 1975Country Life 26 June 1676/1 Beneath the surface of a highly professional modern ‘Royal’, one may sense the old-time garden-party atmosphere... Verona and the Royal Show are each unique in their own way because they have evolved. |