royalty
roy.al.ty \'ro.i(-*)l-te-\ n [ME roialte, fr. MF roialte`, fr. OF, fr.
roial] 1a: royal status or power : SOVEREIGNTY 1b: a right or perquisite
of a sovereign (as a percentage paid to the crown of gold or silver taken
from mines) 2: regal character or bearing : NOBILITY 3a: persons of royal
lineage 3b: a person of royal rank 3c: a privileged class 4: a right of
jurisdiction granted to an individual or corporation by a sov ereign 5a: a
share of the product or profit reserved by the grantor esp. of an oil or
mining lease 5b: a payment made to an author or composer for each copy of
his work sold or to an inventor for each article sold under a patent