1.
[syn: royal fern, royal osmund, king fern, ditch fern, French bracken, Osmunda regalis]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Osmund \Os"mund\, n. (Bot.)
A fern of the genus Osmunda, or flowering fern. The most
remarkable species is the osmund royal, or royal fern
(Osmunda regalis), which grows in wet or boggy places, and
has large bipinnate fronds, often with a panicle of capsules
at the top. The rootstock contains much starch, and has been
used in stiffening linen.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Royal \Roy"al\, a. [OE. roial, riall, real, OF. roial. reial, F.
royal, fr. L. regalis, fr. rex, regis, king. See Rich, and
cf. regal, real a coin, Rial.]
1. Kingly; pertaining to the crown or the sovereign; suitable
for a king or queen; regal; as, royal power or
prerogative; royal domains; the royal family; royal state.
[1913 Webster]
2. Noble; generous; magnificent; princely.
[1913 Webster]
How doth that royal merchant, good Antonio? --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
3. Under the patronage of royality; holding a charter granted
by the sovereign; as, the Royal Academy of Arts; the Royal
Society.
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Battle royal. See under Battle.
Royal bay (Bot.), the classic laurel (Laurus nobilis.)
Royal eagle. (Zool.) See Golden eagle, under Golden.
Royal fern (Bot.), the handsome fern Osmunda regalis. See
Osmund.
Royal mast (Naut.), the mast next above the topgallant mast
and usually the highest on a square-rigged vessel. The
royal yard and royal sail are attached to the royal mast.
Royal metal, an old name for gold.
Royal palm (Bot.), a magnificent West Indian palm tree
(Oreodoxa regia), lately discovered also in Florida.
Royal pheasant. See Curassow.
Royal purple, an intense violet color, verging toward blue.
Royal tern (Zool.), a large, crested American tern (Sterna
maxima).
Royal tiger. (Zool.) See Tiger.
Royal touch, the touching of a diseased person by the hand
of a king, with the view of restoring to health; --
formerly extensively practiced, particularly for the
scrofula, or king's evil.
[1913 Webster]
Syn: Kingly; regal; monarchical; imperial; kinglike;
princely; august; majestic; superb; splendid;
illustrious; noble; magnanimous.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
Osmunda regalis
n 1: large deeply rooted fern of worldwide distribution with
upright bipinnate compound tufted fronds [syn: royal
fern, royal osmund, king fern, ditch fern, French
bracken, Osmunda regalis]