crown

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“

The ends of these stay bars rest above the vertical sides of the fire box; and to the stay bars thus extending across the crown, the crown is attached at intervals by means of stay bolts.

—A Catechism of the Steam Engine

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American Heritage Dictionary (33)

noun An ornamental circlet or head covering, often made of precious metal set with jewels and worn as a symbol of sovereignty.
noun The power, position, or empire of a monarch or of a state governed by constitutional monarchy.
noun The monarch as head of state.

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Century Dictionary (81)

An ornament for the head; originally, among the ancients, a wreath or garland; hence, any wreath or garland worn on the head; a coronal. Crowns, made at first of grass, flowers, twigs of laurel, oak, olive, etc., but later of gold, were awarded in ancient Rome to the victors in the public games, and to citizens who had done the state some distinguished service. See corona, 2. You nymphs call'd Naiads, of the windering brooks, With your sedg'd crowns. Shak., Tempest, iv. 1. Last May we made a crown of flowers. Tennyson, May Queen, ii.
An ornament or covering for the head worn as a Symbol of sovereignty. Crowns were of very varied forms till heralds devised a regular series to mark the grades of rank, from the imperial crown to the baron's coronet. (See coronet, 2.) The crown of England is a gold circle, adorned with pearls and precious stones, from which rise alternately four Maltese crosses and four fleurs-de-lis. From the tops of the crosses spring imperial arches, closing under a mound and cross. Within the crown is a crimson velvet cap with an ermine border. The crown of Charlemagne, which is preserved in the imperial treasury of Vienna, is composed of eight plates of gold, four large and four small, connected by hinges. The large plates are studded with precious stones, the front one being surmounted with a cross; the smaller ones, placed alternately with these, are ornamented with enamels representing Solomon, David, Hezekiah, and Isaiah, and Christ seated between two flaming seraphim. The Austrian crown is a sort of cleft tiara, having in the middle a semicircle of gold supporting a mound and cross; the tiara rests on a circle with pendants like those of a miter. The Russian crown is a modified form of the same imperial crown. The royal crown of France is a circle ornamented with eight fieurs-de-lis, from which rise as many quarter-circles closing under a double fieur-de-lis. The triple crown of the popes is more commonly called the tiara. (See diadem.) In heraldry the crown is used as a bearing in many forms. When a coronet or open crown is used to alter or differentiate a bearing, whether on the escutcheon or as a crest or supporter, it is not blazoned by itself, but the bearing is said to be crowned; when it is placed around the neck of an animal, the animal is said to be gorged. ʒe come to ʒoure kyngdom er ʒe zoure-self knewe, Crouned with a croune that kyng vnder heuene Miʒte not a better haue bouʒte, as I trowe. Richard the Redeless, i. 33.
Figuratively, regal power; royalty kingly government. Thou wert born as near a crown as he. Fletcher (and another), False One, iv. 3. A very solemn oath of allegiance was then taken by the lords, who swore … to do their best to secure the crown to the male line of the king's descendants. Stubbs, Const. Hist., § 353.

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Even the expression of interest in re-opening the crown is a gesture of symbolic significance that isn't lost upon New Yorkers or visitors who view the Statue of Liberty as an American icon. — Brave New Traveler
Her demonstrated conviction, even when at risk to lose the crown should be applauded. — RedState
Set with 447 emeralds, the crown is the oldest and largest collection of emeralds in the world and has rarely been displayed publicly. — Headlines - Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick
If the Jew ... is victorious over the peoples of this world, then his crown will be the funeral wreath of humanity ... — NewsBlaze.com Current News - Top Stories
Of course, the central gem in this crown is the lyric work of — Music Emissions Alternative Music Reviews

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throne · robe · glory · ring · wreath · ornament · flower · sword · kingdom · king · temple · branch

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

American Heritage Dictionary (1)

Middle English crowne, from Anglo-Norman coroune, from Latin corōna, wreath, garland, crown, from Greek korōnē, anything curved, kind of crown, from korōnos, curved; see sker-² in Indo-European roots.

Century Dictionary (2)

from (a) Middle English crowne, croune, earliest form crune = Middle Dutch krune, krone, Dutch kruin, kroon = OFries. krōne = Middle Low German krone, krune, Low German krone = Middle High German krōne, krōn, German krone (but Old High German corōna, corōne) = Icelandic krūna, krōna = Norwegian kruna = Old Swedish kruna, krona, Swedish krona = Danish krone; (b) later Middle English in full form, corown, coroun, coroune, corone, from Old French corone, coronne, curone, curune, French couronne = Provencal Spanish Italian corona = Portuguese coroa, a crown; all from Latin cŏrōna, a garland, wreath, crown, = Greek κορώνη, the curved end of a bow; cf. κορωνίς, κορωνός, curved, bent, = Gaelic cruinn = Welsh crwn, round, circular, Gaelic crun, a boss. See curve. Hence (from L.) coronal, coronet, corolla, etc.
(a) from Middle English crownen, crounien, crunien (in contr. form) = Dutch kroonen = Middle Low German Low German kronen = Middle High German G. krönen (but Old High German chrōnōn, corōnōn) = Icelandic krūna = Swedish kröna = Danish krone; (b) Middle English, in full form, corownen, corounen, coronen, from Old French coroner, French couronner = Provencal Spanish coronar = Portuguese coroar = Italian coronare, from Latin coronare, crown; from the noun, Middle English crowne, etc., Latin corōna: see crown, n.

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/kraʊn/

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crown

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