crown English · revision 4430

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1085|origins=grc κορώνη}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /kraʊn/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|coroune]], croune,^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) [[bor|xno|coroune]], Old North French curune, Old French corone (modern couronne),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) and directly [[der|la|corōna|t=crown; originally wreath, garland]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Cresswell 2021) from [[grc|κορώνη|tr=korṓnē|t=anything curved, kind of crown]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) Old English used corona, directly from Latin.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) Watkins derives it from [[ine-pro|*sker-|t=to turn, bend]],^(Etymonline) and Barnhart and Hoad relate it to Latin curvus “bent”, the source of [[curve]];^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) Beekes takes the sense from the identical Greek korōnē “crow”, used of all kinds of hooked objects.^(Etymonline) Middle English had both coroune and the shortened crune, but only crown survived after the 1500s.^(Barnhart 1988) It is a doublet of [[corona]].^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The royal crown: 1085 in the OED,^(OED 1989) 1111 in Barnhart, as coronan,^(Barnhart 1988) the early 12th century in Etymonline.^(Etymonline) The wreath of a victor: about 1175.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Greek crown was a laurel branch or a wreath of flowers bent around the head of a victor or official.^(Cresswell 2021) Figuratively, regal power is from about 1200,^(Etymonline) and the monarch in an official capacity, ''the Crown'', from 1579.^(OED 1989) The top of the head is from about 1300,^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) the tonsure in the 13th century,^(Hoad 1986) a crowning honour from the late 14th century,^(Etymonline) and the top of anything in the 16th century.^(Hoad 1986) Coins bearing a crown are from the late 14th century in Etymonline and the 15th in Hoad, especially the British five-shilling piece;^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) the name is also used for the money of Sweden, Norway and Denmark.^(Etymonline) The top of a hat is from the 1670s, and the part of a tooth above the gum from 1804.^(Etymonline) The verb, to place a crown on, is from about 1175,^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988) to invest with royal dignity from about 1290,^(OED 1989) and ''crowning'', completing, from 1651.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1085 – a royal crown.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1175 – a victor's wreath; verb.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1200 – regal power.^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1290 – verb, to make king.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1300 – the top of the head.^(Etymonline)

+ * late 14th century – a coin; an honour.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1579 – the monarch, ''the Crown''.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1670s – the top of a hat.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1804 – the crown of a tooth.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An ornamental headdress, often of gold set with jewels, worn by a [[monarch]] as a symbol of sovereignty.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''the Crown'': the monarch, or the power of a monarchy or state.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A [[wreath]] or [[garland]] worn on the head as a sign of victory or honour; a championship title.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The top of the head, or the top part of a hat, hill or other thing.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The part of a tooth above the gum, or an artificial cover for it.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A coin, especially a former British coin worth five shillings.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To put a crown on the head of; to make king or queen.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To honour or reward.^(AHD)

+ # To form the top of, or to complete in a perfect way.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(informal)'' To hit on the head.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[crowned]]

+ * [[crownless]]

+ * [[crowner]]

+ * [[recrown]]

+ * [[uncrown]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[corona]]

+ * [[coronation]]

+ * [[coroner]]

+ * [[curve]]

+ * [[coronary]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}