noun
Usage: often capitalized I, sometimes capitalized C
1. : a crown emblematic of independent sovereignty: as
a. : the crown in the royal regalia of England that is used for the crowning in the coronation ceremony, that consists of a circlet of gold heightened with four crosses formée alternately with four fleurs-de-lis and has two arches rising from the crosses and surmounted by a mound and a cross formée, and that is ornamented with precious stones — called also St. Edward's crown
b. : the crown of an emperor or of an empire
2. : a conventionalized representation of an imperial crown ; especially : a figure of a crown in the style of the imperial crown of England often used as an emblem of the sovereignty of the British monarch or as a heraldic bearing
3. : imperial state crown