royalty
royalty — 名詞
1. All the people who make up a royal house — the king, queen, and their close rela
皇室成員
國王、女王及其家族成員
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.
這間博物館展出了曾經屬於歐洲皇室的黃金珠寶。
Before the queen's visit, little Greta had never seen royalty in person.
在女王來訪之前，小 Greta 從未親眼見過皇室成員。
uncountable: used without an article for the group as a whole
Books about British royalty sell very well in the museum gift shop.
關於英國皇室的書籍在博物館禮品店裡賣得很好。
Hosting royalty at the palace requires weeks of careful planning.
在王宮接待皇室成員需要數週的周密規劃。
For a young child, meeting royalty can feel like stepping into a storybook.
對一個小孩來說，見到皇室成員就像走進了童話故事裡一樣。
- 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
版稅
因作品被使用而支付的費用
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.
這位作者每賣出一本書就能獲得百分之十的版稅。
collocation: 'a royalty of [percentage]'
Musicians earn royalties every time their songs are played on the radio.
音樂人的歌曲每在電台上播放一次，他們就能賺取版稅。
Arjun's family still lives on royalties from his grandfather's invention.
Arjun 一家至今仍靠他祖父發明的版稅過活。
The publishing company sends royalty payments to authors twice a year.
出版社每年兩次向作者支付版稅。
Without a written contract, artists often struggle to collect their royalties.
沒有書面合約的藝術家，往往難以收到應得的版稅。
- 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
礦權使用費
因開採資源而付給地主或政府的費用
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.
礦業公司每開採一噸煤，就要向地主支付一筆礦權使用費。
Oil royalties provide a steady income for families whose land sits above large oil fields.
石油開採權利金為那些土地位於大油田上方的家庭提供了穩定的收入。
collocation: 'oil royalties / gas royalties'
The government collects royalties from companies drilling for natural gas on public land.
政府向在公有土地上鑽探天然氣的公司收取開採權利金。
Felix negotiated a higher royalty rate before allowing drilling on his ranch in Texas.
Felix 在允許開採他位於德州的牧場之前，協商了更高的權利金費率。
Changes in mineral royalty laws affect how much mining companies must pay to landowners.
礦產權利金法律的變動，會影響礦業公司必須支付給地主的金額。
- 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.