[ree-guh
l] 
| 1. | of or pertaining to a king; royal: the regal power. |
| 2. | befitting or resembling a king. |
| 3. | stately; splendid. |
[ree-guhl] | a portable reed organ of the 16th and 17th centuries. |
| re·gal (rē'gəl) adj.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin rēgālis, from rēx, rēg-, king; see reg- in Indo-European roots.] re·gal'i·ty (rĭ-gāl'ĭ-tē) n., re'gal·ly adv. |
regal
a small, easily portable pipe organ usually having only a single set, or rank, of reed pipes. The beating reeds are surmounted by small resonators, producing a nasal, buzzing tone. Wind under pressure to sound the pipes is supplied by one or two bellows attached to the instrument and operated by the player or an assistant. The so-called bible regal, of the 16th century and later, can be folded up into the shape of a large book when not in use, hence its name. Regals, widely played in Europe during the Renaissance and Baroque eras, gained popularity as both solo and ensemble instruments. A regal is the instrument specified by Claudio Monteverdi to accompany brass instruments in an infernal scene in his music drama Orfeo (1607), and King Henry VIII of England evidently owned 17 regals of various sizes and pitches
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