Found 2 items, similar to battle royal.
English → English (WordNet) Definition: battle royal battle royal n : a noisy riotous fight [syn: melee, scrimmage]
English → English (gcide) Definition: Battle royal 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. [1913 Webster] Battle royal. See under Battle. Royal bay (Bot.), the classic laurel (Laurus nobilis.) Royal eagle. (Zo["o]l.) 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 (Zo["o]l.), a large, crested American tern (Sterna maxima). Royal tiger. (Zo["o]l.) 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] Battle \Bat"tle\, n. [OE. bataille, bataile, F. bataille battle, OF., battle, battalion, fr. L. battalia, battualia, the fighting and fencing exercises of soldiers and gladiators, fr. batuere to strike, beat. Cf. Battalia, 1st Battel, and see Batter, v. t. ] 1. A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat. [1913 Webster] 2. A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life. [1913 Webster] The whole intellectual battle that had at its center the best poem of the best poet of that day. --H. Morley. [1913 Webster] 3. A division of an army; a battalion. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] The king divided his army into three battles. --Bacon. [1913 Webster] The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the battle, and on it alone depended the fate of every action. --Robertson. [1913 Webster] 4. The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia. [Obs.] --Hayward. [1913 Webster] Note: Battle is used adjectively or as the first part of a self-explaining compound; as, battle brand, a “brand” or sword used in battle; battle cry; battlefield; battle ground; battle array; battle song. [1913 Webster] Battle piece, a painting, or a musical composition, representing a battle. Battle royal. (a) A fight between several gamecocks, where the one that stands longest is the victor. --Grose. (b) A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two are engaged; a m[^e]l['e]e. --Thackeray. Drawn battle, one in which neither party gains the victory. To give battle, to attack an enemy. To join battle, to meet the attack; to engage in battle. Pitched battle, one in which the armies are previously drawn up in form, with a regular disposition of the forces. Wager of battle. See under Wager, n. [1913 Webster] Syn: Conflict; encounter; contest; action. Usage: Battle, Combat, Fight, Engagement. These words agree in denoting a close encounter between contending parties. Fight is a word of less dignity than the others. Except in poetry, it is more naturally applied to the encounter of a few individuals, and more commonly an accidental one; as, a street fight. A combat is a close encounter, whether between few or many, and is usually premeditated. A battle is commonly more general and prolonged. An engagement supposes large numbers on each side, engaged or intermingled in the conflict. [1913 Webster]