-alis

of, relating to

Forms

-alis
-aris — Latin variant especially used when the stem already contained l, avoiding a repeated l sound.
-al — English ending borrowed through French or directly from Latin.
-ar — English ending continuing Latin -aris.

Origin

An older Latin adjective-forming suffix; its more remote ancestry is uncertain.

Note

Expresses a relationship without specifying its kind: material, place, purpose, and other connections are possible.

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noun

royalty

ROY-uhl-tee/ˈrɔɪəlti/

Payment to an owner for use of that owner's property or creative work.

The author receives a royalty payment for sales of her books.

A South Asian author receives a payment statement beside stacks of her published books, no readable text.

Etymology

royLatinking or ruler

+alLatinof, relating to

+tyLatina quality or condition

Originally naming royal authority, royalty came to mean a sovereign’s privileges, then rights granted to others. From those rights developed the payment sense: first for using a landowner’s mine, later for using an author’s or composer’s work.

In context

FORGOTTEN HISTORY6:23

He sold the rights to his AC patents to George Westinghouse for a lump sum and later tore up his royalty contract. A decision that may have cost him hundreds of millions of dollars.

6,000 Patents Hidden By The Government | U.S. Invention Secrecy Act

More examples

The contract specifies how royalties are calculated.
They paid a royalty to use the patented design.
Music royalties provided a steady income.

Forms

royalty · royalties

Similar words

fee: A broader charge, not necessarily linked to continuing use or sales.
license payment: Specifically payment for permission to use something.