1 regalia | Definition of regalia

regalia

plural noun
re·​ga·​lia | \ ri-ˈgāl-yə How to pronounce regalia (audio) \

Definition of regalia

1 : royal rights or prerogatives
2a : the emblems, symbols, or paraphernalia indicative of royalty
b : decorations or insignia indicative of an office or membership
3 : special dress especially : finery

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Did You Know?

Just as regal describes a king or queen—that is, a ruler—regalia originally meant the things, and especially the dress and decoration, that belong exclusively to a monarch. The British monarchy's regalia include the crown jewels (crown, scepter, orb, sword, etc.) that lend luster to royal coronations. Academic regalia—the caps, gowns, and hoods worn by students receiving their degrees—link institutions to their past by preserving the dress worn at universities since their beginnings in the Middle Ages, when long hooded robes were needed for warmth.

Examples of regalia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Well, more of us know her name (her paintings have been draped above New York’s Highline near the Whitney Museum since April, flapping in the breeze like tribal regalia). Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Painter Vivian Suter emerges from decades of self-exile with bright, blissful works at the ICA," 29 Aug. 2019 Phillips tweeted out her accomplishment on June 30, showing herself in her academic regalia and holding her thesis. Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "The First Black Woman to Earn a Physics PhD From University of Glasgow Just Graduated," 3 July 2019 The women in Adam Sings In The Timber’s first solo exhibit are striking — indigenous women from a variety of tribes donning their Native regalia with Chicago landmarks and its skyline in the backdrop. Darcel Rockett, chicagotribune.com, "American Indian Center’s latest exhibit, ‘Reclaim: Indigenizing Colonized Spaces,’ is a series on Native empowerment," 8 Aug. 2019 Rainy’s grandmother, Nancy Long of Ramona, said Rainy wears her great-grandfather’s necklace and white handkerchief as part of her princess regalia. Julie Gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "Six-year-old crowned Little Miss Okla Chahta Princess," 2 Aug. 2019 Before going out to check out the tractor, all of the kindergarten and first-grade girls decided to put on their superhero regalia. Catalina Righter, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Campers learn innovation and invention with a little help from a farm tractor," 26 July 2019 Peanuts character Snoopy will make appearances in his astronaut regalia at Comic Con in San Diego and at Space City in Toulouse, France for the countdown to man’s first steps. Washington Post, "Don’t recall Apollo 11? Global festivities have you covered," 1 July 2019 Some of the civilian extras, many of whom have signed up for the pleasure of brandishing rifles and marching around in army regalia, clash with Mariana’s vision and reveal their own prejudices in the process. Los Angeles Times, "Review: ‘I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians’ interrogates the past," 24 July 2019 In the ninth century he was exhumed, dressed in full papal regalia, put on trial as a corpse—and found guilty of perjury and violating the laws of the church. The Economist, "The most scandalous popes in history," 29 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'regalia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of regalia

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for regalia

Medieval Latin, from Latin, neuter plural of regalis

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More Definitions for regalia

regalia

noun

English Language Learners Definition of regalia

: special clothes and decorations (such as a crown or scepter) for official ceremonies
: special clothing of a particular kind

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More from Merriam-Webster on regalia

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with regalia

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for regalia

Spanish Central: Translation of regalia

Nglish: Translation of regalia for Spanish Speakers