royalty
royalty — noun
1. All the people who make up a royal house — the king, queen, and their close rela
All the people who make up a royal house — the king, queen, and their close relatives — when thought of as a group rather than as separate individuals.
The museum displayed gold jewellery that once belonged to European royalty.
Before the queen's visit, little Greta had never seen royalty in person.
uncountable: used without an article for the group as a whole
Books about British royalty sell very well in the museum gift shop.
Hosting royalty at the palace requires weeks of careful planning.
For a young child, meeting royalty can feel like stepping into a storybook.
- nobility
refers to a broader social class of titled people, not only the royal family itself
- the crown
refers to the royal institution or authority rather than the people
- aristocracy
includes both royalty and titled nobles; a wider social class
- commoners
people who do not belong to a royal or noble family
- the public
ordinary citizens as a group
用法筆記
Uncountable — you cannot say 'a royalty' to mean one royal person. Use 'a member of royalty' or simply 'a royal' instead. The plural form 'royalties' meaning 'royal individuals' is sometimes used in informal journalism but is not standard in careful writing.
常見錯誤
2. An agreed payment that goes to creators — writers, musicians, or inventors — eve
An agreed payment that goes to creators — writers, musicians, or inventors — every time their book, song, or patented product is bought, played publicly, or put into use by someone else under a legal licence.
The author receives a royalty of ten percent on every copy sold.
collocation: 'a royalty of [percentage]'
Musicians earn royalties every time their songs are played on the radio.
Arjun's family still lives on royalties from his grandfather's invention.
The publishing company sends royalty payments to authors twice a year.
Without a written contract, artists often struggle to collect their royalties.
- licensing fee
a broader term covering any payment for permission to use intellectual property
- commission
a percentage paid to a salesperson or agent, not specifically for creative or intellectual work
- share of profits
can refer to any portion of earnings, not necessarily tied to each unit sold
用法筆記
Often used in the plural (royalties) even when referring to payments from one book or one song, because payments are typically made per copy or per use, resulting in multiple small sums. 'Royalty rate' is the percentage or fixed amount agreed upon.
常見錯誤
3. Money that an oil, gas, or mining company pays a landowner or the government for
Money that an oil, gas, or mining company pays a landowner or the government for permission to take valuable raw materials — such as petroleum, coal, or minerals — out of the ground.
A mining company pays the landowner a royalty for each ton of coal removed.
Oil royalties provide a steady income for families whose land sits above large oil fields.
collocation: 'oil royalties / gas royalties'
The government collects royalties from companies drilling for natural gas on public land.
Felix negotiated a higher royalty rate before allowing drilling on his ranch in Texas.
Changes in mineral royalty laws affect how much mining companies must pay to landowners.
- mineral rights payment
more specific; refers to payments tied to mineral extraction rights
- lease bonus
a one-time upfront payment for signing a lease, not a per-unit payment over time
- override royalty
a technical term for a share of production that is free of production costs
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2: in this sense, the payment is for extracting physical resources from land, not for using creative or intellectual work. The term is typically preceded by a resource name (oil royalty, gas royalty, mineral royalty). Common in contracts, legal documents, and business news.