Etymology Inherited from Middle English coroune, from Anglo-Norman corone, from Latin corōna (“crown, wreath”), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē). Doublet of corona, korona, koruna, krona, króna, and krone. Displaced Old English corenbēag (“crown”) and Middle English kinehelm, kynehelm, from Old English cynehelm (“crown”, literally “kinhelm” or “king's helm”). The paper sizes (etymology 1, noun sense 18) are so called because the papers were originally watermarked with a crown.
Before so many of Europe's crowns came tumbling off the heads of their royal owners, Continental Europe could show a rich variety in the matter of royal trains.1945 September and October, C. Hamilton Ellis, “Royal Trains—V”, in Railway Magazine, page 250:
2
A wreath or band for the head, especially one given as reward of victory or a mark of honor.
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Broadly Any reward of victory or mark of honor.
the martyr’s crown
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Imperial or regal power, or those who wield it.
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Metonymically The sovereign (in a monarchy), as head of state.
A parliament may be diſſolved by the demiſe of the crown.1765, William Blackstone, “Of the Parliament”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book I (Of the Rights of Persons), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 181:
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Broadly, Especially, In law The state, the government (headed by a monarch).
Treasure recovered from shipwrecks automatically becomes property of the Crown.
Large arrears of pay were due to the civil and military servants of the crown; and only forty thousand pounds remained in the Exchequer.1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter X, in The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume I, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 597:
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Dated, Slang The police (referring to Crown Victoria police cars).
› The top part of something:
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The topmost part of the head.
[...]if he awake, / From toe to crowne hee'l fill our skin with pinches, / Make vs ſtrange ſtuffe.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 16, column 1:
In more than twenty things, which I ſet down; / This done, I twenty more had in my Crown, / And they again began to multiply, / Like ſparks that from the coals of fire do fly.1678, John Bunyan, “The Author’s Apology for His Book”, in The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC:
› The top part of something: › The topmost part of the head.
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Medicine, Sciences During childbirth, the appearance of the baby's head from the mother's vagina.
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Lifestyle, Religion A round spot shaved clean on the top of the head, as a mark of the clerical state; the tonsure.
› The top part of something:
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The highest part of a hill.
Huge Trunks of Trees, fell'd from the ſteepy Crown / Of the bare Mountains, rowl with Ruin down.1697, Virgil, “The Sixth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 370, lines 267–268:
We walk’d together on the crown/Of a high mountain which look’d down/Afar from its proud natural towers/Of rock and forest, on the hills—/The dwindled hills! begirt with bowers/And shouting with a thousand rills.1829, Edgar Allan Poe, “Tamerlane”, in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems:
1 more example
So we continue climbing to the saddle of the Kleine Scheidegg, where ahead there comes into view the wide expanse of the Grindelwald valley, backed by the snowy crown of the Wetterhorn.1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 752:
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The top section of a hat, above the brim.
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The raised centre of a road.
Watt was beginning to tire of running his eyes up and down this highway, when a figure, human apparently, advancing along its crown, arrested, and revived, his attention.1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, [Paris]: Olympia Press, →OCLC:
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The highest part of an arch.
The arch failed first at the crown, then at the quarterings, and finally at the springings.1941 February, “Bridge demolition by lifting”, in Railway Magazine, page 74:
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The upper range of facets in a rose diamond.
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The dome of a furnace.
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The upper part of certain fruits, as the pineapple or strawberry, that is removed before eating.
Architecture A kind of spire or lantern formed by converging flying buttresses.
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Splendor; culmination; acme.
[…] happie in our mutual help/ And mutual love, the Crown of all our bliſs/ Ordain'd by thee, […]1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 727–729:
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Any currency (originally) issued by the crown (regal power) and often bearing a crown (headdress); (translation) various currencies known by similar names in their native languages, such as the korona, koruna, krona, króna, krone.
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Historical A former predecimalization British coin worth five shillings.
Half-a-crown is known as an alderman, half a bull, half a tusheroon, and a madza caroon; whilst a crown piece, or five shillings, may be called either a bull, or a caroon, or a cartwheel, or a coachwheel, or a thick-un, or a tusheroon.1859, J.C. Hotten, A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words:
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Broadly, Historical A coin or note worth five shillings in various countries that are or were in the British Commonwealth, such as Ireland or Jamaica.
There is no difficulty getting married in Jamaica, is there? No, it only costs half a crown.1866, Jamaica. Report of the Royal Jamaica Commission, 1866. Part II: Minutes of Evidence and Appendix, H.M.Stationery Office, page 558:
Maggie Murphy had some knickers that she bought in Bagenalstown, an interlock of knickers that she got for a half a crown.2009, “Maggie Murphy's Knickers” (track 8), in Stay Wut Her Johnny, performed by Richie Kavanagh:
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Biology, Botany, Natural sciences The part of a plant where the root and stem meet.
Nautical, Transport A knot formed in the end of a rope by tucking in the strands to prevent them from unravelling.
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Nautical, Transport The part of an anchor where the arms and the shank meet.
The honest, rough piece of iron, so simple in appearance, has more parts than the human body has limbs: the ring, the stock, the crown, the flukes, the palms, the shank. All this, according to the journalist, is “cast” when a ship arriving at an anchorage is brought up.1904–1906, Joseph Conrad, chapter IV, in The Mirror of the Sea, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers, published October 1906, →OCLC:
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Nautical, Transport The rounding, or rounded part, of the deck from a level line.
Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences A monocyclic ligand having three or more binding sites, capable of holding a guest in a central location.
Geometry, Mathematics, Sciences The area enclosed between two concentric perimeters.
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Cooking, Food, Lifestyle A whole bird with the legs and wings removed to produce a joint of white meat.
When these TV chefs show you that they can cook a turkey crown in less than two hours; they aren't magicians or have secret turkey suppliers. The twenty minute per pound rule is based on our grandparents' ovens.2012, Paul Treyvaud, The Hooker in the Lobby:
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Colloquial A formal hat worn by women to Sunday church services; a church crown.
African-American Vernacular
"His [Barack Obama's] unofficial slogan 'fired up and ready to go!' was borrowed from an 'old lady in a church crown [Sunday best hat]."2013, Adam Boulton, Tony's Ten Years: Memories of the Blair Administration:
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Hobbies, Horology, Lifestyle The knurled knob or dial, on the outside of a watch case, used to wind it or adjust the hands.
Etymology Inherited from Middle English coroune, from Anglo-Norman corone, from Latin corōna (“crown, wreath”), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē). Doublet of corona, korona, koruna, krona, króna, and krone. Displaced Old English corenbēag (“crown”) and Middle English kinehelm, kynehelm, from Old English cynehelm (“crown”, literally “kinhelm” or “king's helm”). The paper sizes (etymology 1, noun sense 18) are so called because the papers were originally watermarked with a crown.
1
Of, related to, or pertaining to a crown.
crown prince
2
Of, related to, pertaining to the top of a tree or trees.
a crown fire
crown
verb
Etymology Inherited from Middle English coroune, from Anglo-Norman corone, from Latin corōna (“crown, wreath”), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē). Doublet of corona, korona, koruna, krona, króna, and krone. Displaced Old English corenbēag (“crown”) and Middle English kinehelm, kynehelm, from Old English cynehelm (“crown”, literally “kinhelm” or “king's helm”). The paper sizes (etymology 1, noun sense 18) are so called because the papers were originally watermarked with a crown.
The king of the Huns was crowned with steel, and rode a stallion red,/Saying: “Proud must my father’s spirit feel of me who crowned my head […]”2012, Poul Anderson (lyrics), performed by Leslie Fish, “The Ballad of Three Kings” in Avalon is Risen, originally published (in variant form) in Poul Anderson, “Three Kings”, Amra, volume 2, number 64 (1975)
2
To formally declare (someone) a king, queen, emperor, etc.
Her, vvho faireſt does appear, / Crovvn her Queen of all the year.1665 (first performance), John Dryden, The Indian Emperour, or, The Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 3:
3
To bestow something upon as a mark of honour, dignity, or recompense; to adorn; to dignify.
Thou […] hast crowned him with glory and honour.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 8:5:
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To form the topmost or finishing part of; to complete; to consummate; to perfect.
the grove that crowns yon tufted hill1812, Lord Byron, “Canto II”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. A Romaunt, London: […] [F]or John Murray, […]; William Blackwood, Edinburgh; and John Cumming, Dublin; by Thomas Davison, […], →OCLC, stanza XLIX:
To crown the whole, came a proposition.1856, John Lothrop Motley, The Rise of the Dutch Republic:
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To declare (someone) a winner.
New Zealand were crowned world champions for the first time in 24 years after squeezing past an inspired France team by a single point.2011 October 23, Tom Fordyce, “2011 Rugby World Cup final: New Zealand 8-7 France”, in BBC Sport:
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Medicine, SciencesOf a baby To have its head's surface appear in the vaginal opening during the birthing process.
The mother was in the second stage of labor and the fetus had just crowned, prompting a round of encouragement from the midwives.
You will see the baby's head crowning during contractions, at which time you must prepare to assist the mother in the delivery of the baby.2007, David Schottke, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, First Responder: Your First Response in Emergency Care, page 385
1 more example
He's crowning . . . His head's coming through2010, Scott Gallagher, Dancing Upon the Shore, page 157:
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To cause to round upward; to make anything higher at the middle than at the edges, such as the face of a machine pulley.
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To hit on the head.
‘[…] I remember a lady coming to inspect St. Mary's Home where I was brought up and seeing us all in our lovely Elizabethan uniforms we were so proud of, and bursting into tears all over us because “it was wicked to dress us like charity children”. We nearly crowned her we were so offended. She saw us but she didn't know us, did she?’.1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 6, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
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Video games To shoot an opponent in the back of the head with a shotgun in a first-person shooter video game.
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In checkers, to stack two checkers to indicate that the piece has become a king.
“Crown me!” I said, as I moved my checker to the back row.
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Firefighting, GovernmentOf a forest- or bushfire To spread to the crowns of the trees and thence move from tree to tree independent of the surface fire.
Government, Military, Politics, War To effect a lodgment upon, as upon the crest of the glacis, or the summit of the breach.
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Nautical, Transport To lay the ends of the strands of (a knot) over and under each other.
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Euphemistic, Idiomatic, Slang, Vulgar, Of feces To have its topmost part emerge partially from the body, as a result of heightened internal pressure in the bowels.