Dictionary

battle royal en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌbætl̩ ɹɔɪˈæl/
• (US) audio

Etymology

Preserves the French pattern of adjective after noun. Royal here means “grand in scale”.

Meanings

1. A fight involving three or more individuals, teams, or factions; fought until one person, team, or faction is left standing.
   • Shinty, once a battle royal between villages, is still a far tougher game than hockey, its nearest Sassenach equivalent. 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 278:
   • I was told that since I was to be there anyway I might as well take part in the battle royal to be fought by some of my schoolmates as part of the entertainment. 1952, Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man, Penguin Books (2014), page 17:
2. (broadly) A heated discussion or debate.

Forms