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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

2 entries under this word

Crown

Crown, n.

noun

n. [O. Eng. corone, coroun, O. Fr. corone, N. Fr. couronne, Pr., Sp., It., & Lat. corona, Gr. κορώνη, Ger. & Dan. krone, Sw. krona, D. kroon.] 1. A wreath or garland, or any ornament encircling the head, especially as a badge of dignity or power; hence, any mark of honorable distinction. “An olive-branch and laurel-crown.” Shak. Hid'st thou that forehead with a golden crown! Shak. What seemed his head The likeness of a kingly crown had on. Milton. Let merit crowns and justice laurels give. Dryden. 2. Any object sought for as a reward, prize, end, or consummation; any thing which imparts beauty, dignity, or finish. They do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 1 Cor. ix. 25. Mutual love, the crown of all our bliss. Milton. 3. The person entitled to wear a regal or imperial crown; the sovereign;—with the definite article. Large arrears of pay were due to the civil and military servants of the crown. Macaulay. 4. The supreme authority in a monarchy; regal power; sovereignty; royalty. Had Philip been capable of comprehending such a mind, the prince [of Orange] . . . would have enabled the monarch to transmit that beautiful cluster of provinces without the loss of a single jewel to the inheritors of his crown. Motley.

  1. A piece of money stamped with the image of a crown; hence, a certain denomination of coin; as, the English crown, a silver coin of the value of five shillings sterling, or a little more than $1.20.
  2. The chief or topmost part of any thing; the summit.

From toe to crown he'll fill my skin with pinches. Shak. The steepy crown of the bare mountains. Dryden.

  1. The part of a hat above the brim; also, the flat circular part at the top of a hat.
  2. (Arch.) (a.) The highest or topmost member of a cornice; the corona. (b.) The summit of any part of a building; as, the crown of an arch, of a cornice, &c.
  3. (Bot.) An appendage at the top of the claw of some petals;—called also corona. Gray.
  4. (Naut.) (a.) That part of an anchor where the arms are joined to the shank. (b.) The bights formed by the several turns of a cable. Totten.
  5. (Jewelry.) The upper range of cut surfaces in a rose-diamond.
  6. (Eccl.) A round spot shaved clean on the top of the head, as a mark of ecclesiastical character or distinction; the tonsure.
  7. (Geom.) The area inclosed between two concentric perimeters.

Pleas of the crown (Law). See PLEAS.

An ornate jeweled crown with a cross-like ornament at the top.
Crown.

Crown, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. CROWNED; p. pr. & vb. n. CROWNING.] [O. Fr. coroner, N. Fr. couronner, Pr. & Sp. coronar, It. & Lat. coronare, Ger. krönen, Sw. kröna, Dan. krone, D. kroonen. See supra.] 1. To cover, decorate, or invest with a crown; hence, to invest with royal dignity. She perforce withholds the loved boy, Crown him with flowers. Shak. If you will elect by my advice, Crown him, and say, “Long live our emperor.” Shak. 2. To bestow upon as a mark of honor, dignity, or recompense; to adorn; to dignify. Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor. Ps. viii. 5. Adam the while . . . had wove Of choicest flowers a garland to adorn Her tresses, and rural labors crown. Milton. 3. To form the topmost or finishing part of; to complete; to consummate; to perfect. One day shall crown the alliance. Shak. Amidst the grove that crowns yon tufted hill. Byron. To crown the whole, came a proposition embodying the three requests. Motley. 4. (Mil.) To effect a lodgment upon (as upon the covered way, in a siege) by sapping upon a glacis near the crest.