Regalias

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A collection of ceremonial or royal insignia and symbols representing authority and power
2. Items of wealth and grandeur often associated with the highest positions in society or monarchy
3. Elaborate decorations and jewels that serve as tokens of status and prestige in formal contexts

Etymology: "Regalias" is simply the plural of "regalia," so the real story is the noun it pluralises. Regalia comes from Medieval Latin "rēgālia," meaning "royal powers," which was formed by turning the neuter plural of "rēgālis" ("of a king") into a noun. That adjective traces back to "rēx," the Latin word for "king," so the word's core is the idea of kingship itself. The word reached English in Middle English as "regalie," and it originally named the rights and privileges of a monarch rather than the objects displayed at a coronation. The crowns, sceptres and robes came to be called regalia only later, as the sense shifted from the power to the symbols that signalled it.