Where does “royalty-free” come from?
royalty-free (English) comes from English Free, from English faller, from English -er, from Middle English -er, from Old French -er, from Latin -āre, from Proto-Italic -āō, from Proto-Indo-European -eh₂yéti — he, she.
royalty-free (English): Of software, content, or materials, licensed for use after a one-time payment or fee, with no additional royalties required per use, reproduction, or distribution
Definitions
- Of software, content, or materials, licensed for use after a one-time payment or fee, with no additional royalties required per use, reproduction, or distribution
Ancestry of “royalty-free”, step by step
royalty-free traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Free
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Free | Unconstrained |
| 2 | English | faller | One who falls; A fruit that falls from the tree,... |
| 3 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 4 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 5 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 6 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 11 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |
via English royalty
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | royalty | The rank, status, power or authority of a... |
| 2 | Middle English | royaltee | Alternative form of royalte |
| 3 | Old French | roialté | — |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | regalitatem | — |
| 5 | Latin | regalitas | royal dignity, royalty, regality |