royalty

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A person of royal rank or lineage.
2. n. Monarchs and their families considered as a group.
3. n. The lineage or rank of a monarch.
4. n. The power, status, or authority of a monarch.
5. n. Royal quality or bearing.
6. n. A kingdom or possession ruled by a monarch.
7. n. A right or prerogative of the crown, as that of receiving a percentage of the proceeds from mines in the royal domain.
8. n. The granting of a right by a monarch to a corporation or an individual to exploit specified natural resources.
9. n. The payment for such a right.
10. n. A share paid to a writer or composer out of the proceeds resulting from the sale or performance of his or her work.
11. n. A share in the proceeds paid to an inventor or a proprietor for the right to use his or her invention or services.
12. n. A share of the profit or product reserved by the grantor, especially of an oil or mining lease. Also called override.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The state or condition of being royal; royal rank or extraction; existence as or derivation from a king or a royal personage.
2. n. Royal personality; concretely, a royal personage, or member of a royal family; collectively, an aggregate or assemblage of royal persons: as, royalty absented itself; discrowned royalties.
3. n. Royal authority; sovereign state; kingly rule or majesty; kingship, either as an attribute or as a principle.
4. n. The character of being kingly, or proper to a king; royal quality, literally or figuratively; kingliness.
5. n. That which pertains or is proper to a king or sovereign; a sovereign right or attribute; regal dominion or prerogative; a manifestation or an emblem of kingship.
6. n. A royal domain; a manor or possession belonging to the crown.
7. n. A royal due or perquisite; especially, a seigniorage due to a king from a manor of which he is lord; a tax paid to the crown, or to a superior as representing the crown, as on the produce of a royal mine.
8. n. Hence A compensation paid to one who holds a patent for the use of the patent, or for the right to act under it, generally at a certain rate for each article manufactured.
9. n. A proportional payment made on sales, as to an author or an inventor for each copy of a work or for each article sold.
10. n. In Scotland, the area occupied by a royal burgh, or (in the plural) the bounds of a royal burgh.

Wiktionary

1. n. The rank, status, power or authority of a monarch.
2. n. People of royal rank, plus their families, treated as a group.
3. n. A royal right or prerogative, such as the exploitation of a natural resource; the granting of such a right; payment received for such a right
4. n. The payment received by an owner of real property for exploitation of mineral rights on his property.
5. n. by extension payment made to a writer, composer, inventor etc for the sale or use of intellectual property, invention etc.
6. n. poker, slang A king and a queen as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The state of being royal; the condition or quality of a royal person; kingship; kingly office; sovereignty.
2. n. The person of a king or sovereign; majesty.
3. n. obsolete An emblem of royalty; -- usually in the plural, meaning regalia.
4. n. Kingliness; spirit of regal authority.
5. n. Domain; province; sphere.
6. n. That which is due to a sovereign, as a seigniorage on gold and silver coined at the mint, metals taken from mines, etc.; the tax exacted in lieu of such share; imperiality.
7. n. A share of the product or profit (as of a mine, forest, etc.), reserved by the owner for permitting another to use the property.
8. n. Hence (Com.), a duty paid by a manufacturer to the owner of a patent or a copyright at a certain rate for each article manufactured; or, a percentage paid to the owner of an article by one who hires the use of it.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. payment to the holder of a patent or copyright or resource for the right to use their property
2. n. royal persons collectively