I. ˈkrau̇n noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English coroune, croun, crowne, from Old French corone, curune, from Latin corona garland, wreath, crown, from Greek korōnē anything curved, tip of a bow, stem of a ship, kind of crown, from korōnos curved; akin to Latin curvus curved, Greek skairein to dance, Middle Irish cruind round, Sanskrit krīḍati he dances, plays, Old English hrīth storm, hrith fever, Old High German hrito fever, Old Norse hrīth attack, storm, period of time; basic meaning: turning, bending
1. : a reward of victory or mark of honor
the crown of life everlasting
a crown of glory
especially : the title representing the championship in a sport
to win the heavyweight boxing crown
contending for the intercollegiate football crown
2. : a royal or imperial headdress or cap of sovereignty worn by monarchs and usually made of precious metals and adorned with precious stones : diadem — see coronet
3. : the highest part of something: as
a.
(1) : the topmost part of the skull or head
(2) : head 1
b. : the summit of a mountain
c.
(1) : the head of foliage in a tree or shrub
(2) : crown canopy
d. : corona 1
e. : the vertex or top part of an arch or arched surface (as a street or deck rounding toward the middle) ; specifically : the difference in elevation between the center and edges of a rounded roadway
f.
(1) : the part of a hat or other headgear covering the crown of the head
(2) : the piece of harness that in a bridle passes over the head — called also crownpiece
g. : the branched portion of an antler
h.
(1) : the part of a tooth external to the gum — see tooth illustration
(2) : an artificial substitute for the natural crown of a tooth
i. : the tuft of leaves at the apex of a pineapple
j. : the portion of a brilliant above the girdle — compare pavilion
k. : the dome of a furnace, gas retort, or brick kiln
l. : the crest of a bird
4. : a wreath, band, or circular ornament for the head that is made of flowers, fabric, or metal and worn as a decorative clothing accessory or as a mark of prestige, preeminence, or accomplishment
5. : something felt to resemble the form or shape of a wreath or crown: as
a. : corona 2a(1)
b. : a circlet of tapers
c. : the entire body of a crinoid
d. : the knurled cap on top of the stem for winding a watch
e.
(1) : crown glass
(2) : crown lens
f. also crown cap or crown cork : a metal cap usually lined (as with cork), used as a closure for a narrow-necked container (as a bottle), and locked in place by its fluted rim being crimped down and around the rounded lip of the container
6. often capitalized
a.
(1) : imperial or regal power or dominion : sovereignty
(2) : the government under a constitutional monarchy
b. : one entitled to wear a crown ; especially : the monarch in his official capacity as supreme ruler
7. : something that imparts beauty, splendor, honor, or finish : high point : culmination
whatever the beginnings of religion, Jesus is the crown and climax — J.C.Swaim
your companionship was the crown of his life — H.J.Laski
8. : something bearing a representation of a crown: as
a.
(1) : any of several old gold coins with a crown as part of the device (as an English crown of the rose) — compare crown gold
(2) : an English coin worth 5 shillings issued since 1551 but now struck only on special occasions and originally made of silver but since 1946 of cupronickel
(3) : any dollar-size silver coin
b. : a size of paper originally watermarked with a crown and now measuring usually 15 × 20 or 15 × 19 inches
c. : a green or blue symbol resembling a crown that marks the fifth suit in some five-suit packs of playing cards
9.
a. : a unit of value equivalent to the value of a crown
b.
(1) : koruna
(2) : krona
(3) : krone
(4) : kroon
10. : the highest quality or state of something
11. : a representation of a crown (as a heraldic bearing, watermark, hallmark)
12.
a. : the region of a seed plant usually at ground level at which stem and root merge
b. : the thick arching end of the shank of an anchor where the arms are joined to it — see anchor illustration
c. in carding : the crossbar connecting the prongs of card teeth at back of the card clothing
13. : the bit of a diamond drill
14.
a. : couronne
b.
(1) : a knot formed in the strands of a rope to prevent untwisting
(2) : an interweaving of the strands of a rope to add a finish to a wall knot — see wall and crown
15. : the colon especially of a domestic animal
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English corounen, crounen, from Old French coroner, from Latin coronare, from corona crown
transitive verb
1.
a. : to place a crown or wreath upon the head of
the May queen crowned each child
specifically : to place a crown upon in order to invest with regal dignity and power — often used with a double object
crown a person king
b. : to encircle or encompass
perspiration crowned his forehead
— often used with with
his head was crowned with thorns
c. : to recognize officially as
he was crowned heavyweight boxing champion
— often used with a double object
the association crowned him athlete of the year
2. : to imbue or endow : enrich , adorn — usually used with with
a man crowned with wisdom
she crowned all about her with beauty
3. : to surmount, top, or cap
a sun helmet crowning an impressively big head — Earle Birney
patches of clay crown the higher slopes — L.D.Stamp
especially : to top (a checker) with a checker to make a king
4.
a. : to bring to a happy, suitable, or successful conclusion : round off : finish off : climax
Christmas dinner … was crowned … by a sleek jet-black plum pudding — Silas Spitzer
you can crown your trip to Europe with a wonderful side trip — Saturday Review
b. : to form or provide the finishing element of : complete
each stanza is crowned with a couplet
to crown all, none of the trucks would start
5. : to provide with something like a crown: as
a. : to fill so that the surface forms a crown
he crowned each tankard
b. : to put an artificial crown upon (a tooth)
c. : to provide (a road) with a crown
d. : to place the cap on (a bottle)
6. : to inflict a blow or bruise on the crown of : hit on the head
getting crowned with a beer bottle by a South African trooper — Hal Lehrman
7. : top
crown a plant
intransitive verb
1. of a checker man : to become a king
a single man crowns on reaching the king row — New Complete Hoyle
2. in childbirth : to appear at the vaginal opening — used of the first portion (as the crown of the head) of the infant to appear
a low spinal anesthetic was given when the head crowned — Journal American Medical Association
3. of fire : to sweep to or through the crown canopy of a forest
III. ˈkrün, -rau̇n transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: back-formation from crowner (II)
now dialect : to hold a coroner's inquest on