▪ I. crown, n.
(kraʊn)
Forms: α. (1 corona, acc. -an); 2–4 corune, 4–5 coron(e, coroune, corun, 4–6 coroun, 5 corown(e, 6 coronne; β. 2–4 crune, 4 crun, crone, cron, 4–6 croune, croun, 4–7 crowne, (5 crounne, crowun, 6 crownde), 7– crown.
[ME. croun(e, earlier crun(e, syncopated from coroune, corune, corone, a. AF. coroune, in early ONF. corune, curune (central OF. corone, coronne, in 13th c. couronne) = Pr., Sp., It. corona:—L. corōna crown, orig. wreath, chaplet.
The 11th c. corona in the O.E. Chron. was directly from L. The syncopated crune was used already in the 12th c.; but the fuller form survived beside it to the 16th c.]
I. 1. a. An ornamental fillet, wreath, or similar encircling ornament for the head, worn for personal adornment, or as a mark of honour or achievement; a coronal or wreath of leaves or flowers.
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. A. 237 A pyȝt coroune ȝet wer þat gyrle, Of mariorys & non oþer ston. 1382 Wyclif Ezek. xxiv. 23 Ȝe shulen haue corowns [Vulg. coronas] in ȝoure heedis, and..ȝe shulen not weile nor wepe. c 1386 Chaucer Sec. Nun's T. 221 This aungel had of roses and of lilie Corounes tuo. 1483 Cath. Angl. 84 A Crowne, laurea. 1592 R. D. Hypnerotomachia 65 Nymphes..about their heades wearing Garlandes and Crownes of Violets. 1610 Shakes. Temp. iv. i. 129 You Nimphs cald Nayades..With your sedg'd crownes. 1720 Ozell Vertot's Rom. Rep. I. iv. 241 He had obtained fourteen Civic Crowns..three Mural Crowns. 1766 Porny Heraldry (1787) 207 The Romans had ten different Crowns to reward Martial exploits, and extraordinary services done to the Republic as Mural-Crown..Naval or Rostral-Crown, etc. 1877 J. D. Chambers Div. Worship 295 Flowers, sometimes woven into garlands and crowns. |
b. fig. Chiefly referring to the wreath with which the victor was crowned in the ancient Grecian and Roman games, or to the
aureola of a martyr, virgin, or doctor, as victor over the world, the flesh, or the devil; usually the sense is more or less idealized or spiritualized (
e.g. in
crown of martyrdom,
martyr's crown;
no cross, no crown, etc.), or transferred to any kind of honourable distinction or reward bestowed upon a victor.
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 39 Drihten bihat þon wakiende ane crune þet scal beon seofesiðe brihtre þene þa sunne. a 1225 Ancr. R. 160 Þeos þreo maner men habbeð ine heouene mid ouer fulle mede—crune upe crune. 1382 Wyclif 2 Tim. iv. 8 In the tothir tyme a crowne of riȝtwysnesse is kept to me. ― Rev. ii. 10 Be thou feithful vnto the deeth, and I shal ȝiue to thee a coroun of lijf. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 273 Whiche is onely reserued for the finall crowne and rewarde of all our labours. 1839 J. Yeowell Anc. Brit. Ch. Pref. (1847) 11 Some..received the crown of martyrdom during the Diocletian persecution. 1855 H. Reed Lect. Eng. Lit. v. (1878) 167 His brow, on which four-score years had placed their crown of glory. |
[See
aureola,
quots. 1483, 1626.]
2. spec. a. The cincture or covering for the head, made of or adorned with precious metals and jewels, worn by a monarch as a mark or symbol of sovereignty; a diadem.
| 1085 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.), Her se cyng bær his corona and heold his hired on Winceastre. 1111 Ibid. On þison ᵹeare ne bær se kyng Henri his coronan. c 1200 Ormin 8180 Onn hiss hæfedd wærenn twa Gildene cruness sette. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2638 His corune on his heued he dede. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 376 Þre syþe he ber croune a-ȝer. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 216 A quene..a whit Corone sche ber. a 1400–50 Alexander 193 With corone & with cony⁓schantis as it a kynge were. 1535 Coverdale Esther ii. 17 He set the quenes croune vpon hir heade. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iii. i. 31 Vneasie lyes the Head that weares a Crowne. 1603–4 Act 1–2 Jas. I, c. 1 §3 Sithence the Imperial Crown of this Realm descended to you. 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. I. 343 The pope's triple crown. 1870 J. C. Jeaffreson Bk. abt. Clergy II. 227 A chief influence in the many forces that put the crown on his son's head. |
b. Christ's crown of thorns.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. John xix. 2 Coronam de spinis, of ðornum ða corona vel þæt siᵹbeᵹ of ðornum. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 121 Mid þornene crune his heaued wes icruned. 1375 Barbour Bruce iii. 460 The naylis, and the sper, And the croune that Ihesu couth ber. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) ii. 7 Þat coroun was made of braunches of albespyne. 1611 Bible Matt. xxvii. 29 When they had platted a crowne of thornes, they put it vpon his head. 1836 Macgillivray Humboldt's Trav. xxii. 315 Beggars carrying a crown of thorns on their heads, asked alms, with crucifixes in their hands. |
c. crown of thorns (starfish): a poisonous starfish,
Acanthaster planci or
A. ellisi.
| 1964 Medical Jrnl. Australia 18 Apr. 592/2 The ‘crown of thorns’ starfish is to be found entwined in the branches of living coral, on which it feeds. 1969 Sci. Jrnl. Nov. 15/1 The starfish in question, Acanthaster planci, is better known as the ‘Crown-of-Thorns’ starfish since its upper surface is covered with prominent spines. Ibid. (caption) Starfish, known as the ‘Crown-of-thorns’, is wreaking havoc amongst coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. |
3. fig. The sovereignty, authority, or dominion of which a crown is the symbol; the rule, position, or empire of a monarch.
Chiefly in phrases in which the sense, originally literal, has ceased to be analysed.
| 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 978 Emperour alixandre..þe kiddeste y-core þat corone weldus. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 167 What emperour was entronized The firste day of his corone. c 1460 Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. xix, Þat he hath then enriched is crowne with..riches and possescions. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 6 Saul from his Asses, and David from his sheepe were called to the crowne. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. i. i. 144 Against my Crowne, my oath, my dignity. 1659 Vulgar Err. Censured 27 Osiris King of Egypt thought it not below his crown to have commerce with Physicall rules. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. I. 114 John Cabot..obtained a..commission..to discover unknown lands and annex them to the crown. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xvii. 68 A conqueror whose crown might at any moment be threatened by a Scandinavian rival. |
4. fig. The wearer of a crown; the monarch in his official character; the supreme governing power of a state under a monarchical constitution.
| 1579 Tomson Calvin's Serm. Tim. 985/2 Hee might haue ben thought to haue beene of the crowne, as the Kings daughters adopted sonne. 1714 Swift Pres. State of Affairs, He was treated contemptibly enough by the young princes of France, even during the war; is now wholly neglected by that crown. 1734 tr. Rollin's Anc. Hist. (1827) VII. xviii. i. 366 During the interval of this truce a treaty was negotiated between the two crowns. 1780 Burke Corr. (1844) II. 338 The resentment of the crown is a serious thing. 1788 Priestley Lect. Hist. v. xlvi. 342 The commons..ventured to..give advice to the crown. 1827 Hallam Const. Hist. (1876) III. xiv. 90 The assertion of passive obedience to the crown grew obnoxious to the crown itself. 1844 H. H. Wilson Brit. India I. 243 The pardon of the Crown was granted. |
5. fig. That which adorns like a crown; a chief or crowning ornament.
| c 1368 Chaucer Compl. Pite 75 Ye be also the corowne of beaute. 1382 Wyclif Prov. xii. 4 A bisi womman a croune is to hir man. Ibid. xvi. 31 The croune of dignete elde, that in the weie of riȝtwisnesse shal be founde. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iii. ii. 95 The crowne and comfort of my Life (your Fauor) I doe giue lost. 1662 Stillingfl. Orig. Sacr. ii. vii. §5 Every place of holy Scripture may have its crown, but some may have their aureolæ, a greater excellency. 1829 Southey All for Love iii, They were the pride, the joy, The crown of his old age. 1861 Tulloch Eng. Purit. iii. 390 It was the very singleness of his spiritual energy, that made his excellence and crown. |
II. Something having or bearing the figure or the representation of a crown.
6. a. Any crown-shaped ornament.
b. A figure of a crown for heraldic or other purposes.
c. A frequent sign, and hence name, of an inn, alone or in combination, as the
Crown and Sceptre,
Rose and Crown, etc.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3789 Corunes at ðe alter of bras. 1766 Porny Heraldry (1787) 208 The Mural-Crown..Examples of this Crown are frequently met with in Achievements. 1875 W. McIlwraith Guide Wigtownshire 55 Bearing two unicorns and a lion rampant and the Crown. 1885 E. B. Evans Philatelic Handbk. 118 [1d. stamp] Watermark a Small Crown; imperforate. Ibid. 160 Jamaica: Watermark a Pineapple..Wmk. Crown and CC... Wmk. Crown and CA. |
d. Crown and Anchor, a gambling game played with three dice each having faces bearing a crown, an anchor, and the four card-suits; the players place their bets on a board or cloth bearing similar figures.
| 1880 G. A. Sala America Revisited (1882) II. vi. 78 The Crown and Anchor booth at Greenwich Fair. 1903 [see banker2 4]. 1917 A. G. Empey From Fire Step 125 The two most popular games are ‘Crown and Anchor’ and ‘House’. 1935 Punch's Almanack CLXXXVIII. p. viii/1 The..new Dukes..played Crown and Anchor in the corridors. 1969 R. C. Bell Board & Table Games II. v. 84 The bets are the same as in Crown and Anchor. |
7. Astron. The name of two constellations, the
Northern crown and
Southern Crown: see
corona 8.
| [c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 339 Ariadne, And in the signe of Taurus men may see The stonys of hire Corone shyne clere.] 1551 Recorde Cast. Knowl. (1556) 264 The northe Croune, called also Ariadnes Croune. Ibid. 270 There is the Croune of the southe, formed of 13 small starres. 1870 Proctor Other Worlds x. 246 Such variable stars as the one which recently blazed out in the Northern Crown. |
8. A name of various coins; originally one bearing the imprint of a crown.
a. orig. A translation of the French name
couronne (
denier à la couronne), given to a gold coin bearing on the obverse a large crown, issued by Philip of Valois in 1339, or applied to the
écu à la couronne of Charles VI, issued in and after 1384, in which the shield was surmounted by a crown; and from the 15th to the 18th c. the common English name for the F.
écu, as well as for other foreign coins of similar value; in more recent times used also for the
krone of various northern countries.
Crown of the Sun [F.
escu sol,
Cotgr.,
écu d'or au soleil, Littré]: a gold écu much current in England in the 15–16th c., the type of the first English Crown: see b.
| 1430 Lydg. Chron. Troy iv. xxx, The change is not so redy for to make In Lumbarde Strete of crowne nor doket. 1433 Caxton G. de la Tour C iij, They dare bye gownes of three or foure score crownes. 1525 Ld. Berners Froiss. II. clxvii. [clxiii.] 462 The tresourers made redy the money in Crownes of the Sonne, and put it into foure cofers. 1530 Palsgr. 211/1 Crowne, a pece of golde, escu. 1548 Hall Chron. (1809) 313 That the French Kyng..should paie..without delaie lxxv M Crounes of the Sunne & yerely l M crounes to be paied at London, whiche, accoumptyng a crowne at iiij s, amounteth to x M l. 1577 Harrison England ii. xxv. (1877) i. 364 Of forren coines we haue..the French and Flemish crownes, onlie currant among vs, so long as they hold weight. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iii. ii. 236 Stand my friend, and heere is foure Harry tenne shillings in French Crownes for you. 1639 Massinger Unnat. Combat i. i, Present your bag, crammed with crowns of the sun. 1727–51 Chambers Cycl., Crown, in commerce, is a general name for coins both foreign and domestic, of or near the value of five shillings sterling..as the French ecu, which we call the French crown, struck in 1641 for sixty sols, or three livres; also the patagon, dollar, ducatoon, rix-dollar, and piastre, or piece of eight. 1819 Shelley Cenci iv. ii, One who thinks A thousand crowns excellent market price For an old murderer's life. |
b. A coin (when last minted, silver) of Great Britain of the value of five shillings; hence the sum of five shillings.
The gold ‘Crown of the Rose’ was coined by Henry VIII in 1526, in imitation of the French Crown of the Sun of Louis XII or Francis I; crowns and half-crowns in silver have been in circulation since the reign of
Edw. VI.
| 1542 Recorde Gr. Artes (1575) 197 A Crowne containeth 5s.: & the halfe Crowne 2s. 6d. How bee it there is another Crowne of 4s. 6d., whiche is knowen by the rose side: for the rose hath no Crowne ouer it, as in the other Crowne, but it is enuironed on the 4 quarters with 4 floure deluce. 1577 Harrison England ii. xxv. (1877) i. 363 The new gold..Our peeces now currant are..quarters of souereigns (otherwise called crownes) and halfe crownes. 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. 28/2 A Crown, or five Shillings Gold, is the least peece we have in England. 1712 Steele Spect. No. 266 ¶2, I..could not forbear giving her a Crown. 1732 Law Serious C. vii. (ed. 2) 96 She will toss him half a Crown, or a Crown. 1838 Dickens O. Twist xviii, I'll bet a crown! |
9. A size of paper, originally watermarked with the figure of a crown.
It measures 15 × 20 inches; in
U.S. 15 × 19 inches.
| 1712 Act 10 Anne in Lond. Gaz. No. 5018/3 Paper called.. Genoa Crown. 1766 C. Leadbetter Royal Gauger ii. xiv. (ed. 6) 372 Large Post, Crown, Printing Foolscap. 1790 Wolcott (P. Pindar) Benev. Ep. to Sylv. Urban Wks. 1812 II. 261 His nice discerning Knowledge none deny, On Crown, Imperial, Foolscap, and Demy. 1878 Print. Trades Jrnl. xxv. 17 A bulky crown 8vo, selling at threepence. |
III. Something having the circular form of a crown or encircling wreath.
† 10. a. The tonsure of a cleric;
cf. corona 5.
| c 1205 Lay. 13110 Þe hod hongede adun, alse he hudde his crune. a 1300 Cursor M. 27251 (Cott.) Or cron þat es o clergi merc. c 1325 Poem Times Edw. II 115 in Pol. Songs (Camden) 329 Some beareth croune of acolyte. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 467 Crounne & cloþ maken no prest. c 1449 Pecock Repr. iii. xvii. 387 Whanne a persoon is mad first clerk and takith his firste corown for to be therbi oon of the clergie. 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. lxvii. 50 This traytour put vpp on hym an abyte of Relygyon and lete shaue hym a brode crowne. 1533 Elyot Cast. Helthe (1541) 80 b, Ashamyd of theyr crounes that reverend token of the order of preesthode. |
† b. priest's crown: a popular name of dandelion seed.
Obs.| 1530 Palsgr. 179 Barbedieu, the sede of dandelyon whiche children call preestes crownes. Ibid. 258/2 Prestes crowne that flyeth about in somer, barbedieu. |
11. = corona 1.
| 1563 Fulke Meteors (1640) 41 b, This thick and watry cloud is not..under the Sunne, for then it would make the Circles, called crownes or garlands. 1815 T. Forster Atmos. Phænom. 97 Meteorologists have spoken of halos and crowns of light. 1823 Scoresby Jrnl. 283 The anthelion..combined with the concentric crowns, has, I believe, been observed by very few. |
12. † a. A whorl or verticil of flowers.
b. = corona 7 b.
c. A circular projection or rim round the top of the fruit of some plants. (See also 25 b.)
| 1578 Lyte Dodoens ii. lxx. 239 The small floures are purple, and grow like Crownes or whorles at the toppe of the stemmes. 1870 Hooker Stud. Flora 202 Chrysanthemum leucanthemum..Fruits all terete equally ribbed..with a small crown. Ibid. 364 Amaryllideæ..Perianth superior..with sometimes a crown at the mouth of the tube. Ibid. 365 Narcissus Pseudo-narcissus..crown campanulate. |
† 13. A ring.
a. in
Geom. b. A ring or circle of persons, etc.
Obs.| c 1611 Chapman Iliad xv. 7 With a crown of princes compassed. 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey) s.v., In Geometry, Crown signifies a plain Ring included between two Concentric Perimeters. [Hence in later Dicts.] |
14. A circular chandelier;
= corona 3.
| 1845 Ecclesiologist Mar. 91 The choir is lighted by two crowns, each carrying six tapers. 1853 Rock Ch. of Fathers IV. 28 Beautiful, ornamented metal hoops called ‘crowns’, which hung from the church's roof. 1877 J. D. Chambers Div. Worship 5. |
15. Surg. The circular serrated edge of a trepan.
| 1758 J. S. Le Dran's Observ. Surg. (1771) 61, I applied the Crown of the Trepan. 1787 C. B. Trye in Med. Commun. II. 149, I used a large crown. |
16. In
med.L.
corona ecclesiæ was the circular apse of a great church behind the choir; hence, according to some, the name
Becket's Crown or
St. Thomas's Crown, given to the eastern apse or circular tower of Canterbury Cathedral. (But the origin of the name is much disputed.)
| 1703 Somner Canterbury 90 Upon the beautifying of St. Thomas's Crown, that is, Becket's Crown, was expended..115l. 12s. 1726 J. Dart Canterb. 30. 1816 Woolnoth Canterb. 72 We enter the tower..called Becket's Crown, in which stands the patriarchal chair. 1845 Willis Canterb. Cath. 56 note. |
IV. Something which occupies the position of a crown; the top or highest part of anything, the vertex or vertical surface.
17. a. The top part of the skull; the vertex. (See
esp. quot. 1589.)
| c 1300 Havelok 568 Hise croune he ther crakede Ageyn a gret ston. a 1300 Cursor M. 5447 (Cott.) He laid his hand a-pon þair cron, And gaue þam serekin beneson. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 303 Cristes cors come on hure croun. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 111 Whanne þat þe crounne of þe heed is perfiȝt þe heed is maad in þis maner. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 923 How cuthbert childe stode on his croune. c 1485 Digby Myst. (1882) iv. 310 From the Crowne of the hede vnto the too. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. (Arb.) 189 In deede crowne is the highest ornament of a Princes head..or els the top of a mans head, where the haire windes about. 1610 Shakes. Temp. iv. i. 233 From toe to crowne hee'l fill our skins with pinches. 1816 Keatinge Trav. (1817) I. 222 The Arabs..with their bare shaven crowns exposed to its full rays. 1887 Besant The World went xiv. 112 He would crack the crown of any man who ventured to make love to his girl. |
b. By extension: The head.
| 1594 Shakes. Rich. III, iii. ii. 43 Ile haue this Crown of mine cut from my shoulders, Before Ile see the Crowne so foule mis-plac'd. 1628 Prynne Love-lockes 49 Those men who curle their crownes like women. 1692 R. L'Estrange Josephus, Antiq. xvii. xiv. (1733) 477 With these Crotchets in his Crown, away he went for Rome. 1728 R. North Mem. Musick (1846) 125 A cappriccio came in his crowne to make the like for Paris. |
c. The eminence on the head of a whale, in which the blow-holes are situated.
| 1820 Scoresby Acc. Arctic Reg. II. 219 Whales may frequently be seen..elevating and breaking the ice with their crowns. 1822 G. W. Manby Voy. Greenland (1823) 45 The pointed part of the head, termed the crown, where the spiracles or blow-holes are situated. |
18. The rounded summit of a mountain or other elevation.
| 1583 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 69 My father to the crowne of mounten I lifted. 1605 Shakes. Lear iv. vi. 67 Vpon the crowne o' th' Cliffe. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 352 The land went ascending up to a round crown or knoll. 1808 Scott Marm. iii. xxii, The rampart seek, whose circling crown, etc. 1872 Jenkinson Guide Eng. Lakes (1879) 142 A gradual ascent to the crown of the hill. |
19. a. The highest or central part of an arch or of any arched surface, as a field ridge, a road, causeway, bridge, etc.
crown of the causeway: the central and most prominent part of the pavement or street.
| 1635 Rutherford Lett. (1862) I. 149 Truth will yet keep the crown of the causey in Scotland. 1765 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. ii. (ed. 2) 282 When the crown of a ridge is turned into a furrow. 1795 Burke Regic. Peace iv. Wks. IX. 122 They will take the crown of the causeway. 1816 Scott Antiq. xxi, I keep the crown o' the causey when I gae to the borough. 1856 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XVII. i. 328 The crown of the ridge is isolated, raised out of reach of the re-active moisture from below. 1872 O. Shipley Gloss. Eccl. Terms 40 Every arch is said to be surmounted if the height of its crown above the level of its impost be greater than half its span. 1877 Mrs. Oliphant Makers Flor. v. 127 Marching with honest..steps..holding the crown of the causeway. 1879 Thomson & Tait Nat. Phil. I. i. §60 According as the crown of the solar tide precedes or follows the crown of the lunar tide. |
b. The arched surface of a bowling-green. (
Cf. crown green.)
| 1897 Encycl. Sport I. 128/1 In Lancashire each green has a ‘crown’ varying in rise and slope. 1904 S. Aylwin Gentle Art of Bowling iii. 15 Greens with a crown or rise in the centre..are common in many parts of England. |
20. The top of a hat or other covering for the head;
esp. the flat circular top of the modern hat.
| 1678 Evelyn Mem. (1857) II. 126 They had furred caps with coped crowns. 1709 Steele & Swift Tatler No. 71 ¶8 From the Crown of his Nightcap to the Heels of his Shoes. 1758 Mitchell in Phil. Trans. LI. 225 As broad as a hat crown. 1891 Baring-Gould In Troub. Land ii. 28 Tired..of looking into the crown of her hat. |
21. The rounded top of a brewer's copper.
| 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. v. viii. 34 How to Measure a Segment or portion of a Globe or Sphere, which serves for a..Crown in a Brewers Copper. 1712 in Lond. Gaz. No. 5006/4 Coppers with..taper Sides..and Crown for the Stilheads. |
22. The flattened or rounded roof of a tent or building.
| 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 268 A large canopy..spread like the crown of a tent. 1869 E. J. Reed Shipbuild. xi. 235 Watertight flats, such as crowns to magazines, platforms, etc. 1887 Stevenson Underwoods i. xxxv. 69 Its crown Of glittering glass. |
23. The top, with the canons, of a bell.
| 1756 Dict. Arts & Sc. s.v. Bell, The pallet or crown which is the cover of the Bell, and supports the staple of the clapper within. 1857 W. C. Lukis Acc. Church Bells 21 The crown or head of the bell, for the formation of the canons, is then fitted to the top. |
24. Arch. The uppermost member of a cornice; the corona or larmier;
= corona 4.
| 1611 Cotgr., Couronne..(In Architecture) also, the Corona, crowne, or member of greatest sayle, in a Cornish. |
25. In plants:
a. The leafy head of a tree or shrub;
b. The cluster of leaves on the top of a pine-apple;
c. The flattened top of a seed, etc.;
d. crown of the root: the summit of the root whence the stem arises; the subterranean bud of a herbaceous perennial.
| 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. (Arb.) 189 To call the top of a tree..the crowne of a tree;..because such terme..is transported from a mans head to a hill or tree, therefore it is called by metaphore, or the figure of transport. 1698 Froger Relat. Voy. 59 The Ananas grows like an Artichoak..It bears a Crown of the same leaves. 1846 J. Baxter Libr. Pract. Agric. (ed. 4) I. 157 Plant some of the largest and best roots early in spring..inserting the crown about two inches below the surface. 1847 Illust. Lond. News 17 July 36/3 In preparing to serve a pine⁓apple, at table, first remove the crown. 1851 Glenny Handbk. to Flowergarden 7 [Primulas] are propagated by dividing the tufts into separate crowns with roots attached. 1857 Livingstone Trav. xviii. 344 It rises thirty or forty feet..and there spreads out a second crown where it can enjoy a fair share of the sun's rays. 1863 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XXIV. i. 219 The men cut the plants [carrots] off under the crown, otherwise they will shoot again. 1870 Hooker Stud. Flora 255 Hyoscyamus..Capsule..bursting transversely at the crown. |
26. Farriery. The
coronet of a horse's hoof.
| 1611 Cotgr., Couronne..also, the crowne, top, or beginning of a horses hoofe. |
27. The upper part of a deer's horn; the crest, as of a bird.
| 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1862) I. ii. v. 325 All the rest which grow afterwards, till you come to the top, which is called the crown, are called royal-antlers. |
28. a. Anat. That portion of a tooth which appears beyond the gums.
| 1804 Abernethy Surg. Obs. 58 The whole crown of the tooth may be destroyed to the level of the gum. 1854 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XV. ii. 288 The several parts of a tooth are the crown, neck, and fang. |
b. Dentistry. An artificial structure made to cover or replace the natural crown of a tooth.
| 1820 L. S. Parmly Lect. Nat. Hist. Teeth iii. 75 The pivot soon wears away the fang. Thus the artificial crown becoming loose, it drops out. 1885 I. E. & R. E. Clifford Crown, Bar, & Bridge-work 6 The crown fits over the root like a cap. 1963 J. Osborne Dental Mechanics (ed. 5) xxiii. 415 Crowns may be of two types, first those that cover the natural crown of the tooth.. Second are those crowns that replace entirely the crown of the natural tooth. |
29. In lapidaries' work, the part of a cut gem above the girdle.
| 1875 Ure Dict. Arts II. 25 s.v. Diamond, Crown, the upper work of the rose, which all centres in the point at the top, and is bounded by the horizontal ribs. |
30. The end of the shank of an anchor, or the point from which the arms proceed.
| 1875 Bedford Sailor's Pock. Bk. vi. (ed. 2) 216 If anchoring a boat on rocky ground, bend the cable to the crown of the anchor, and stop it to the ring before letting go. |
31. a. Mech. Any terminal flat member of a structure; the face of an anvil.
b. Short for
crown-glass.
| 1854 C. Tomlinson Cycl. Useful Arts I. 761/1 Regarding glass as a chemical,..the various kinds have been distributed in the following manner:..2..English crown,..3..foreign crown. 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXV. 41/2 The experiments of the eminent Jena glass-makers with phosphate crowns and borate flints. Ibid., A triple combination of ordinary crown and flint with a boro-silicate flint. 1966 McGraw-Hill Encycl. Sci. & Technol. IX. 351 (caption) Heavy flints, flints, light flints, extra-light flints, short crowns, crowns, borosilicate crowns. |
c. The boring end of a diamond or similar drill.
| 1883 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 444/1 The working part of the drill consists of the so-called crown, which is a short piece of tube made of cast steel, at one end of which a number of black diamonds are fastened into small cavities. |
d. A term used to designate the fineness of wire used in carding operations.
| 1884 W. S. B. Maclaren Spinning ix. 211 The crown..is the number of wires in 1 inch along it. |
† 32. A kind of verse, in which the last line of each stanza is repeated to head the next stanza.
| 1580 Sidney Arcadia (1622) 217 Strephon againe began this Dizaine, which was answered vnto him in that kinde of verse which is called the crowne. |
33. fig. That which crowns anything; the crowning, consummation, completion, or perfection.
| c 1611 Chapman Iliad ii. 104 We fly, not putting on the crown of our so long-held war, Of which there yet appears no end. 1784 Cowper Task v. 904 Thou art of all thy gifts thyself the crown. 1806–7 J. Beresford Miseries Hum. Life (1826) ii. x, The crown of the catastrophe. 1884 W. C. Smith Kildrostan 94 The crown of culture is a perfect taste, Which lacking, men are blind and cannot see The higher wisdom. |
V. 34. attrib. and
Comb. a. Of or pertaining to a regal crown or to the Crown (senses 2–4): as
crown demesne,
crown due,
crown duty,
crown gleek,
crown government,
crown grant,
crown oath,
crown property,
crown rape,
crown rent,
crown revenue,
crown right,
crown vassal.
b. In the translated titles of foreign (chiefly Polish) officials, as
crown chamberlain,
crown ensign,
crown general,
crown hunter,
crown referendary,
crown standard-bearer,
crown watchmaster.
c. Pertaining to the coin, as
crown cribbage,
crown table,
crown whist;
crown-broad adj. d. Used to designate a quality or brand of an article, as
crown log,
crown soap,
crown ware.
e. Pertaining to the top of the head, corona of a plant, etc., as
crown bloom,
crown end,
crown lock,
crown set;
crown-distempered adj. Also
crown-like adj.| 1852 Beck's Florist 236 Chance *crown-blooms from the general stock. |
| 1830 Galt Lawrie T. v. viii. (1849) 226 *Crown-broad buttons. |
| 1704 Lond. Gaz. No. 4073/3 The Crown-General Lubomirski and the *Crown-Chamberlain his Brother had made their Submission. |
| 1764 Priv. Lett. Ld. Malmesbury I. 105, I played one rubber of *crown cribbage. |
| 1635 Quarles Embl. i. ix. (1718) 37 Like *crown-distemper'd fools, despise True riches. |
| 1875 W. M{supc}Ilwraith Guide Wigtownshire 76 M{supc}Dowall had fallen behind in the payment of certain *crown-dues, and was outlawed. |
| 1684 Scanderbeg Rediv. iii. 32 Soon after the *Crown-General Potosky departing this Life. 1687 Dryden Hind & P. ii. 410 You seem crown-gen'ral of the land. |
| 1647 N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. xlvii. (1739) 78 The Popes meaned no less Game than *Crown-glieke with the King and people. |
| 1883 J. Fiske in Harper's Mag. Feb. 414/2 The Government of Virginia, after the suppression of the Company in 1624, was a *Crown government: the governor and council were appointed by the king. |
| 1796 Hull Advertiser 3 Sept. 2/3 A parcel of fine wainscot Riga *Crown logs. |
| 1649 Milton Eikon. xxviii. 524 The ancient *Crown-Oath of Alfred. |
| 1874 Helps Soc. Press. iv. 62 Who manages all the *Crown property about here? |
| 1587 Mirr. Mag., Rudacke i, *Crownerape accounted but cunning and skill. |
| 1710 Irish Ho. Com. 6 June, in Lond. Gaz. No. 4706/2 Quit-Rents, *Crown-Rents and Composition Rents. |
| 1614 Selden Titles Hon. 243 Before him..[was]..the *crown-reuenew accompted. |
| 1592 Warner Alb. Eng. vii. xxxiv. (R.), To whom, from her, the *crowne-right of Lancastrians did accrewe. 1892 Daily News 5 Oct. 3/1 The gulf which separates us from those who question the Deity, the atonement, and the crown rights of the Son of God. |
| 1725 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Liquorish, The best sets..are *Crown sets or heads got from the very top of the root. |
| 1684 Scanderbeg Rediv. v. 95 Troops under the Command of the *Crown-standard-bearer. |
| 1811 L. M. Hawkins C'tess & Gertr. II. 57 ‘Ever a *crown-table here, do you know?’ |
| 1814 Scott Chivalry (1874) 26 The nobles and high *crown-vassals. |
| 1881 Porcelain Works, Worcester 10 *Crown Ware [superior earthenware], a speciality. |
| 1684 Scanderbeg Rediv. iv. 86 The *Crown-Watchmaster was posted next the Neister. |
| 1753 A. Murphy Gray's-Inn Jrnl. No. 34 She plays *Crown Whist. |
35. Special combs.:
crown-agent, agent for the Crown; in Scotland, ‘an agent or solicitor who, under the Lord Advocate, takes charge of criminal proceedings’ (Bell
Dict. Sc. Law);
crown-antler, the topmost antler or ramification of a stag's horn;
crown-bark, Peruvian bark obtained from
Cinchona officinalis;
crown-beam, the cross-joint or cross-beam at the apex of a pair of brace beams;
crown-beard, a composite plant of the genus
Verbesina, a native of America;
† crown-benet, ? a benet who has received the tonsure;
crown-berry, the Cape cranberry,
Dovyalis rhamnoides;
crown-bone, the bone of the ‘crown’ of a whale, see 17 c;
crown borer, a drill having a cutter equipped with diamonds or steel teeth for boring purposes;
crown-bud, the flower-bud of a chrysanthemum shoot that forms after the plant ‘breaks’ or branches (
first crown bud) or, if this is removed, the bud that forms on the secondary shoot (
second crown bud);
crown cap orig. U.S., a metallic cork-lined stopper designed to be crimped over the top of a bottle;
crown-cases reserved, criminal cases reserved on points of law for the consideration of the judges;
crown-colony, a colony in which the legislation and the administration are under the control of the home government;
Crown Court, (
a) the court in which the criminal business of an Assize is transacted, as distinguished from the civil court; (
b) either of two assize courts established in Liverpool and Manchester in 1956; (
c) the superior English court established in 1971, replacing the criminal assizes and quarter-sessions and incorporating the Crown Courts of Liverpool and Manchester and the Central Criminal Court;
crown-crane, see
crane n.1 1;
† crown-croacher, for
crown-encroacher, one who encroaches on a crown;
crown-daisy, the old garden Chrysanthemum,
C. coronarium;
† crown-day, coronation day;
crown-debt, a debt due to the Crown, which has preference over all other debts;
Crown Derby, the Derby (see
Derby 5) porcelain made from about 1784 to 1848, bearing a crown as an additional distinguishing mark;
freq. attrib.;
crown-eater,
tr. Germ. kronenfresser, nickname of the Swiss mercenaries who took service with the French;
crown-fern, a New Zealand fern,
Blechnum discolor;
crown fire, ‘a forest fire in which the crowns of the trees are ignited’ (Webster, 1909);
crown gall, a disease of plants caused by the bacterium
Agrobacterium tumefaciens and characterized by tumours;
crown-gate, the up-stream or head gate of the lock of a canal, etc.;
† crown-gold, gold of the quality of which crowns were coined;
crown-graft, a graft inserted between the inner bark and the alburnum; hence
crown-grafting;
crown green, a bowling green which is higher at the middle than at the sides;
crown-head, in
Draughts, the marginal row of the board nearest each player,
cf. crown v.
1 13;
crown-jewels, the jewels which form part of the regalia; also
fig.;
crown law, the part of the common law which relates to the treatment of crimes, the criminal law;
crown lawyer, a lawyer in the service of the Crown; a lawyer who practises in criminal cases;
crown lens, a lens made of crown-glass, chiefly used as a component of an achromatic lens;
crown living, a church living in the gift of the Crown;
crown matrimonial, a regal crown obtained or claimed through marriage with the sovereign;
crown-mural,
† -mure,
= mural crown;
crown-net (see
quot.);
crown-palm,
Maximiliana Caribæa, found on some West Indian islands;
crown-pigeon = crowned pigeon, see
crowned 6;
† crown-pin, a pin or stopper to close the top of a hive;
crown-roast Cookery, a roast of pork or lamb consisting of rib-pieces arranged so as to look like a crown;
crown rot, a disease of rhubarb, caused by the fungus
Erwinia rhapontici;
crown rust, a disease of cereals and grasses, caused by the fungus
Puccinia coronata;
crown-saw, a kind of circular saw with the teeth on the edge of a hollow cylinder, as in a trepan saw, etc. (
cf. sense 15);
crown-sheet, the upper plate of the fire-box of a locomotive;
crown-shell, a barnacle or acorn-shell;
† crown-shorn a., tonsured;
crown-side, the portion of the Court of Queen's Bench which has to deal with criminal matters, the crown office;
crown solicitor, a solicitor who prepares criminal prosecutions for the Crown;
crown-sparrow, a sparrow of the American genus
Zonotrichia, having a conspicuously coloured crown;
crown-tax, a tax paid to the Crown; a tribute paid by the Jews to the kings of Syria (see
quot.);
† crown-thistle, a species of Thistle,
Carduus eriophorus (in some Dicts. erroneously identified with crown-imperial 2);
crown-tile (see
quot.);
crown-tree, a support for the roof in a coal-mine;
crown-valve, a dome-shaped valve which works over a box with slotted sides;
crown-witness, a witness for the Crown in a criminal prosecution instituted by it.
| 1889 Whitaker's Alm. 152 *Crown Agents for the Colonies. Ibid. 155 Lord Advocate's Office..Crown Agent in Edinburgh. |
| 1872 J. Yeats Nat. Hist. Raw Materials of Commerce ii. 234 The pale bark contains most cinchonine, the yellow most quinine; Loxa or *crown bark the largest proportion of quinidine. 1899 J. M. Maisch Man. Org. Materia Medica (ed. 7) 163 Loxa bark or crown bark, chiefly from C. officinalis. |
| 1776 G. Semple Building in Water 4 The *Crown-Beams..projected from three to five Feet. |
| 1555 Sir J. Balfour in C. Innes Sk. Early Sc. Hist. (1861) 129 He hes producit ane testimonial of his order of *crowne-bennet. |
| 1907 T. R. Sim Forests & For. Flora Cape Gd. Hope 132 ‘*Crownberry’ is in use at East London, and may have originated in the crown-like calyx of D[ovyalis] rhamnoides. 1962 Watt & Breyer-Brandwijk Medicinal & Poisonous Plants S. & E. Afr. (ed. 2) 1386/3 Dovyalis rhamnoides...Cape cranberry, Cranberry, Crownberry. |
| 1792 Trans. Soc. Encourag. Arts III. 155 A harpoon..struck the fish in the *crown-bone of the head. 1820 Scoresby Acc. Arctic Reg. I. 454 The upper-jaw, including the ‘crown-bone’, or skull, is bent. |
| 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXXI. 643/1 Attempts are being made to substitute a rotary ‘*crown’ borer for the percussion drill in sinking wells for petroleum. |
| 1900 A. Wynne in W. D. Drury Bk. Gardening v. 140 These growths form buds (termed *crown buds)... If these buds form in July..they are taken out, and another shoot is made, which produces a ‘terminal’, or second crown, bud. 1962 Amateur Gardening 7 Apr. 15/2 Each shoot produces what are known as ‘first crown buds’. |
| 1928 Collier's 1 Sept. 47/1 Corks, bottle cappers, tubing, *crown caps. |
| 1889 Whitaker's Alm. 172 *Crown Cases Reserved Court. Judges.—The Judges of the High Court of Justice. |
| 1845 Penny Cycl. Supp. I. 394/1 (Colonial Agents) A person called the agent-general acts for the *crown colonies; but where there is a local legislature the appointment is generally made by it. 1889 Whitaker's Alm. 433/1 Hong Kong..the colony is a Crown colony. |
| 1827 F. Witts Diary 19 Apr. (1978) 69, I attended the *Crown Court, and heard a very interesting trial for maliciously shooting with intent to murder. 1955 Hansard Lords 23 June 319 Clause 1 establishes the new courts, which are termed ‘Crown Courts’. 1967 Guardian 17 July 3/1 More crown courts in large urban centres are recommended in the Bar Council's evidence to the Royal Commission on assizes and quarter sessions. 1970 Hansard Lords 19 Nov. 1250 Judges of the Crown Court..will consist of the High Court Judges, the existing county court judges, the official referees and all full-time judges with criminal jurisdiction above the level of the stipendiary magistrates. 1977 Evening Gaz. (Middlesbrough) 11 Jan. 7/1 Two Middlesbrough youths who attacked another youth in the street were yesterday sent to the Crown Court for sentence. |
| 1587 Mirr. Mag. (N.), Sith stories all doe tell in every age, How these *crowne-croachers come to shamefull ends. |
| 1882 Garden 14 Jan. 22/3 All the sorts that have chiefly sprung from the *Crown Daisy..have a preponderance of white and yellow. |
| 1609 Heywood Brit. Troy xvi. xcii, He..his neere Neece upon his *Crowne-day rauisht. |
| 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) I. 515 An assignment of a term for years will not protect a purchaser from a *crown debt. |
| [1850 J. Marryat Coll. Hist. Pottery & Porcelain ix. 181 The Derby porcelain is very transparent... The earliest mark is not known..subsequently, the mark was a D surmounted by a crown.] 1863 W. Chaffers Marks & Monograms Pottery 141 *Crown Derby. A later mark than the preceding [sc. Derby-Chelsea]. 1872 Lady C. Schreiber Jrnl. (1911) I. 168 We found some charming Crown Derby custard cups and covers. 1900 E. Glyn Visits Eliz. 227 When he saw the best Crown Derby smashed on the floor. |
| 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. III. 65 They demanded the punishment of the ‘German-French’, the ‘*crown-eaters’. |
| 1946 W. Martin Flora N.Z. iv. 77 At higher altitudes the larger, erect-growing *Crown Fern (B. discolor) replaces them. 1960 B. Crump Good Keen Man 12 A skinny old sow trotted out of the crown-fern above me. |
| 1938 Weaver & Clements Plant Ecol. (ed. 2) ii. 47 *Crown fires race through the tops of the trees at a high rate of speed. |
| 1900 (title) An inquiry into the cause and nature of *crown gall (Arizona Agric. Exper. Station Bull. No. 33). 1950 N.Z. Jrnl. Agric. Mar. 229/3 Crown gall (Bacterium tumefaciens) in Chinese gooseberries is invariably associated with plants that have been propagated by root grafting or from cuttings. 1961 Amateur Gardening 9 Dec. 23 The growths or swellings which have affected your tree of Prunus tibetica are not canker but crown gall. |
| c 1530 in Gutch Coll. Cur. II. 287 For every ounce channge of the golde betwene *corone golde and fine golde iiijs. iiijd. 1712 E. Hatton Merch. Mag. 130 Fine Gold to Crown Gold, is in Value, As 1 to .9167. |
| 1727 Bradley Fam. Dict. s.v. Grafting, A *Crown-graft is very easy to be put in between the Wood and the Rind of the Tree you would graft upon. |
| 1727–51 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Engrafting, *Crown-grafting is when four or more grafts are put round the stock, between the bark and the rind, somewhat in the manner of a crown. |
| [1902 Encycl. Brit. XXVI. 327/2 There are two kinds of green—one the crown, and the other the level.] 1904 S. Aylwin Gentle Art of Bowling iii. 15 For a *crown green No. 2 bias..will be sufficient. |
| 1649 Milton Eikon. viii, The queen [was gone] into Holland, where she pawned and set to sale the *crown jewels. 1851 H. Melville Moby Dick III. xiv. 98 At mid-day, with a blinding sun, all crown-jewels. 1856 Emerson Eng. Traits, Ability, Wks. (Bohn) II. 37 The diamond Koh-i-noor, which glitters among their crown jewels. 1895 G. B. Shaw in Sat. Rev. 2 Feb., Such crown jewels of dramatic poetry as Twelfth Night and A Midsummer Night's Dream. |
| 1769 Blackstone Comm. IV. 3 Our *crown-law is with justice supposed to be more nearly advanced to perfection. |
| 1771 Goldsm. Hist. Eng. IV. xxxvii. (Joddr.) The *crown-lawyers received directions to prosecute them for a seditious libel. |
| 1834 P. Barlow in Phil. Trans. CXXIV. 202 The *crown lens must be made concave and the flint lens convex. 1845 T. Dick Pract. Astr. ii. iv. §6. 244 The predominating refraction of the crown lens disposed the achromatic rays to meet at a distant focus. 1961 R. Auerbach tr. Boutry's Instrum. Optics viii. 141 Much more compelling practical considerations will decide our choice, namely which of the four objectives with the crown lens in front..is the simplest to make and to mount. |
| 1872 E. Peacock Mabel Heron I. iv. 66 The small *crown living..was given to him. |
| 1864 Burton Scot Abr. I. iv. 197 Conferring on the Dauphin the ‘*crown matrimonial’. 1874 Green Short Hist. vii. 378 Mary's scornful refusal of his [Darnley's] claim of the ‘crown matrimonial’..drove his jealousy to madness. |
| 1682 Wheler Journ. Greece iii. 264 A Figure, with a *Crown-mure, with these Letters about it. |
| 1766 Pennant Zool. (1769) III. 272 The fishermen make use of what is called a *crown-net, which is no more than a hemispherical basket, open at top and bottom. |
| 1641 Best Farm. Bks. (Surtees) 62 Make the *crowne-pinne very rownde, and fitte for the crowne of the hive. |
| [1912 F. M. Farmer New Bk. Cookery 132 Roast crown of pork.] 1934 Webster, *Crown roast. 1962 Crown roast [see best A. 5 a]. 1967 Vogue June 132 Crown Roast uses two Best Ends. Your butcher will prepare it for you. |
| 1924 W. A. Millard in Bull. Agric. Dept., Univ. of Leeds cxxxiv. 6 Although many minor diseases attack the Rhubarb crop, none is of any importance in Yorkshire excepting that which has thus come to be known simply as ‘Rhubarb Disease’. This disease would be better described as Rhubarb *Crown Rot, for it is the crown of the plant which is most generally attacked. 1952 E. Ramsden tr. Gram & Weber's Plant Dis. iii. 355/1 No part of a plant with any sign of crown rot should be used for planting. |
| 1899 G. Massee Text-bk. Plant Dis. 249 *Crown Rust (Puccinia coronata, Corda). A widely distributed rust..met with on wheat, barley, rye, and many wild grasses. 1900 J. Percival Agric. Bot. vii. xlviii. 712 Two species of crown ‘rusts’ are known, namely Puccinia coronifera..and P. coronata. Ibid. 713 The upper cells of the teleutospores in both species are surmounted by a ring or crown of blunt teeth, hence the name crown ‘rust’. 1933 Discovery Nov. 351/1 Some years crown rust (Puccinia coronata Corda) on oats amounted to a really serious menace. 1956 J. G. Dickson Dis. Field Crops (ed. 2) xii. 323 Crown rust caused by Puccinia coronata Cda. is distributed widely. |
| 1563–87 Foxe A. & M. (1684) III. 106 The whole *crownshorn company brought to utter shame. |
| 1768 Blackstone Comm. III. 42 The former in what is called the *crown-side or crown-office; the latter in the plea-side of the court. |
| 1845 Penny Cycl. Supp. I. 443/1 In Ireland there are officers called *crown solicitors attached to each circuit, whose duty it is to get up every case for the crown in criminal prosecutions. |
| 1535 Coverdale 1 Macc. xi. 35 The customes of salt and *crowne taxes. 1611 Bible 1 Macc. x. 29, I release all the Iewes from..crowne taxes. |
| 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), A *Crown-thistle or Friers Crown-thistle, a sort of Herb. |
| 1823 P. Nicholson Pract. Build. Gloss. s.v. Tile, Plane-tiles and *Crown-tiles are of a rectangular form. |
| 1816 J. Hodgson in J. Raine Mem. (1857) I. 181 The roof was supported by *crown-trees..of wood. 1851 Greenwell Coal-trade Terms Northumb. & Durh. 20 Crowntrees are best made of larch, as being most durable. 1892 Daily News 21 Apr. 5/4 The roof of a seven-feet seam of coal required to be supported by what are called ‘crown trees’. |
| 1859 Dickens T. Two Cities ii. v, You were very sound, Syd, in the matter of those *crown witnesses to-day. |
▸
Chem. = crown ether n. at Additions; (also) a crown ether derivative.
| 1967C. J. Pedersen in Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 89 7071/2 Because of the appearance of its molecular model and its ability to crown the cations..the first cyclic polyether synthesised in this investigation, was called the crown and the cyclic polyethers, as a class, the crown compounds. 1975 Jrnl. Chem. Soc. Chem. Communications No. 22. 834/1 This prospect has now been realised by utilising l-tartaric acid and d-mannitol separately in two independent synthetic schemes to prepare chiral 18-crown-6 cryptands. 1985 Nature 19 Sept. 243/1 Mixed KCs metal solutions in the liquid crowns. 2006 Chem. European Jrnl. 12 2628/1 If molecular crown-azide complexes could be produced..they should be readily detectable by the simultaneous presence of intense characteristic azide and ligand absorptions. |
▸
crown ether n. Chem. any of a class of polyethers having cyclic molecules in the form of a crenellated ring, capable of binding strongly to metal ions.
| [1967C. J. Pedersen in Jrnl. Amer. Chem. Soc. 89 7017/2 The first cyclic polyether synthesized in this investigation was called the crown, and the cyclic polyethers, as a class, the crown compounds.] 1969 Jrnl. Org. Chem. 34 431/1 An equivalent amount of 0.2 M *crown ether- KOH complex in benzene was used as the hydrolysis medium. 1988 Nature 18 Feb. 599/2 The cations are alkali metal cations complexed by cyclic or bicyclic polyethers of the crown ether or cryptand classes. 2003 Drug Week (Nexis) 18 Apr. 28 Crown ethers, used as host molecules, can either encircle (think doughnut) or fold around (think taco) a guest molecule. |
▪ II. crown, v.1 (
kraʊn)
Forms: α. 3
curune-n,
corune-n, 4–5
coroune-n,
corone-n, (4
coroun), 5
corowne-n. β. 2–3
crune-n, 3–5
croune-n, (3
crouni,
-y), 4–5
cron(e, 4–6
croun(e, (5
kroun), 5–7
crowne, 7–
crown.
pa. pple. 2–3
icruned,
-et, 3
curund,
corund, 4
corouned,
-de,
crund,
crond, 4–5
coroned,
-de,
-d,
cround,
ycrouned, 5
coronyd,
corowned,
i-)cronyd,
i-,
y-)crowned,
-yd.
[ME. croune-n, earlier crune-n, syncopated from corune-n, coroune-n, a. AFr. coruner, corouner, = OF. coroner, from 13th c. couronner:—L. corōnāre, f. corōna crown.] I. 1. a. trans. To place a crown, wreath, or garland upon the head of (a person), in token of victory or honour, or as a decoration, etc.; to adorn with the aureole of martyrdom, virginity, etc. Also,
to crown the head, or
crown the brows (of a person).
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 121 Mid þornene crune his heaued wes i-cruned. c 1230 Hali Meid. 47 Þu ne schalt beon icrunet bute þu beo asailȝet, for godd wole cruni þe. c 1300 Cursor M. 25368 (Cotton Galba) He þat victori may gete sall be corond [with] wirschippes grete. 1382 Wyclif 2 Tim. ii. 5 He that stryueth..schal not be crowned, no but he schal fiȝt lawfully. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 242 This noble quene, Corouned with white, and clothed al in grene. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) ii. 5 He schuld be cround with palme. 1483 Cath. Angl. 84 To Crowne, aureolare. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. ii. i. 27 But she..Crownes him with flowers, and makes him all her ioy. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iii. xxxv. 219 Hee was crowned in scorn with a crown of thornes. 1711 Steele Spect. No. 143 ¶1 Sitting..crowned with Roses in order to make our Entertainment agreeable to us. 1840 Thirlwall Greece VII. 255 Many even crowned themselves before the act, as for a joyful solemnity. 1879 J. Todhunter Alcestis 114 That I should crown my head, and feast and sing. |
b. transf. of things.
| c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. Prol. 219 As the dayseye I-corounede is with white levys lite. Ibid. 532. |
c. To reward or honour (a work of art) with a prize. [After F.
couronner.]
| 1885 Pall Mall G. 10 Feb. 5/2 M. Wauters's book, which was ‘crowned’ by the Royal Academy of Belgium. |
d. dial. or
slang. To hit (a person) on the head.
| 1746 P. Lock Exmoor Scolding (ed. 3) 6 Chell trim the, chell crown tha, chell vump tha. 1866 R. Hallam Wadsley Jack x. 49 Wi' that, sumboddy behint crahn'd me wi' a umbrella. 1919 R. Lardner Real Dope iii. 92 If he hadn't been so old I would of crowned him. 1948 A. Baron From City from Plough 156 Get off that box..before I crown you with this shovel. 1959 ‘O. Mills’ Stairway to Murder xxiii. 234 ‘Someone crowned me, I take it?’ The sergeant nodded. ‘With the poker from our own hearth.’ |
2. spec. a. To invest with the regal crown, and hence with the character and dignity of a king or ruling prince. Often with complemental object,
to crown king, formerly
to king.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 384/256 For-to cloþi him ase an heiȝh kyng, and crouni him with golde. 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 383 Wyllam..let hym crouny to Kynge. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. A. 415 He..Corounde me quene in blysse to brede. 1393 Gower Conf. III. 207 He..was coroned king. c 1400 Destr. Troy 13646 He was coroned to kyng. c 1470 Harding Chron. l. v, To tyme that Kynges to Englande afterward Should coroned bee. 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, i. i. 48 And Crowne her Queene of England. 1678 Wanley Wond. Lit. World v. i. §75. 466/1 Henry the fifth..went to Rome to be Crowned Emperour by Pope Paschalis the second. 1780 E. Perronet Hymn, All hail the power of Jesu's name i, Bring forth the royal diadem, To crown Him Lord of All. 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. I. 83 If the emperor desired to be crowned there. |
b. by extension.
| 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. iii. iv. 154 We wil bring the deuice to the bar and crowne thee for a finder of madmen. 1606 ― Tr. & Cr. i. iii. 142 Achilles, whom Opinion crownes The sinew, and the fore-hand of our Hoste. |
c. To establish as king or sovereign, to enthrone. Usually
fig.| 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. i. 217 She will..on your Eye-lids Crowne the God of Sleepe. 1611 Beaum. & Fl. Philaster iii. ii, Till He crown a silent sleep upon my eyelid, Making me dream. |
3. fig. a. (the ‘crown’ being something immaterial.)
| c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 129 Ure drihten hine crunede mid blisse. a 1340 Hampole Psalter v. 15 Lord as wiþ a sheld of þi goed wil þou hes corounde vs. 1382 Wyclif Isa. xxii. 18 Crounende he shal crowne thee with tribulacioun. 1576 Fleming Panopl. Epist. 57 Clawebackes, which crowne him with commendation. 1593 Shakes., 2 Hen. VI, iii. ii. 71 To be a Queene, and Crown'd with infamie. 1611 Bible Ps. viii. 5 Thou..hast crowned him with glory and honour. 1727 De Foe Syst. Magic i. i. (1840) 18 Wisdom crowns no man now, except it be with the rage and malice of enemies, with poverty and insult. 1846 Trench Mirac. ii. (1862) 124 There a strong faith is crowned and rewarded. |
† b. spec. To reward, remunerate.
Obs.| c 1461 Paston Lett. No. 429 II. 74 It is tyme to crone your old officers. |
4. Also predicated of the crown, wreath, aureole, honour, reward, etc.: To cover as a crown does.
| 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 50 A double Wreath shall crown our Cæsar's Brows. 1764 Goldsm. Trav. 11 Eternal blessings crown my earliest friends. |
5. To surmount (something)
with.
| c 1420 Pallad. on Husb. i. 379 Thi walles..with brik thou must corone A foote aboute, and sumdel promynent. 1610 Shakes. Temp. iv. i. 80 Who..with each end of thy blew bowe do'st crowne My boskie acres. 1798 Ferriar Illustr. Sterne, Eng. Hist. 247 We crown the artificial mound with the shivered donjon. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. 68 The ancient mound of the East Anglian Kings was now crowned by a castle of the Norman type. |
6. a. Of a thing: To occupy the head or summit of (a thing) as a crown does, usually so as to add beauty or dignity; to form a crowning ornament to.
| 1746–7 Hervey Medit. (1818) 184 Ye verdant Woods, that crown our hills, and are crowned yourselves with leafy honours. 1845 M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 17 The church of St. Genoveva..crowned a height at no great distance. 1858 Hawthorne Fr. & It. Jrnls. I. 262 Perugia appeared before us, crowning a mighty hill. 1861 Miss Pratt Flower. Pl. III. 183 Corolla with two ears..which remain and crown the fruit. 1874 J. T. Micklethwaite Mod. Par. Churches 129 The canopy must crown the altar, not conceal it. 1886 F. Caddy Footsteps Jeanne D'Arc 23 Her statue crowns a public fountain. |
b. pass. To be crowned
with, rarely
by.
(In the passive 5 and 6 are scarcely separable.)
| 1816 J. Smith Panorama Sc. & Art I. 152 These [towers]..are generally crowned with fine pinnacles. 1848 Rickman Archit. 50 The walls are crowned by a parapet. 1856 Stanley Sinai & Pal. ii. (1858) 120 When every hill was crowned with a flourishing town or village. 1858 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XIX. ii. 485 The root is crowned by a tuft of leaves. |
7. To adorn the surface of (anything)
with what is beautiful, rich, or splendid. Usually
pass.| 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. v. 57 Where..Vales with Violets once were crown'd. 1704 Pope Pastorals, Spring 99 The turf with rural dainties shall be crown'd. 1764 Goldsm. Trav. 45 Ye glittering towns, with wealth and splendour crown'd. |
8. To fill to overflowing, or till the foam rises like a crown above the brim.
| 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. v. 108 Two Goblets will I crown with sparkling Wine. Ibid., Georg. iv. 208 To..squeese the Combs with Golden Liquor crown'd. 1702 Roxb. Ball. VI. 315 Stand about with your glasses full crown'd. 1709 Prior Poems, Hans Carvel, The Bowls were crown'd..and Healths went round. 1807 Robinson Archæol. Græca iii. iv. 205. 1887 Morris Odyss. i. 152 The serving-lads were crowning with drink each bowl and cup. |
9. fig. To put the copestone to, to add the finishing touch to, to complete worthily.
to crown all: as the finishing touch, which confirms and surpasses everything previous.
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. iv. v. 224 The end crownes all, And that old common Arbitrator, Time, Will one day end it. 1611 ― Wint. T. v. ii. 48 There might you haue beheld one Ioy crowne another. 1613 ― Hen. VIII, v. v. 59 No day without a deed to Crowne it. 1659 B. Harris Parival's Iron Age 153 The end crowns the work: and it serves for nothing, to have well begun, unless we finish so too. 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 125 To crown all, a Book..was laid upon his Coffin. c 1707 in Maidment Sc. Pasquils (1868) 374 If the crafty old Peer..Designs to crown all by a finishing trick. 1725 Pope Odyss. i. 326 Meditate my doom, to crown their joy. 1741 Shenstone Judgment of Hercules 453 Let manhood crown what infancy inspir'd. 1846 Trench Mirac. xviii. (1862) 291 This work of grace and power crowned the day of that long debate. 1850 W. Irving Goldsmith i. 30 Ordered a bottle of wine to crown the repast. 1871 Blackie Four Phases i. 92 To crown all..man alone..can mould the emitted voice into articulate speech. |
10. To honour or bless with a successful consummation or issue; to bring (efforts, wishes, etc.) to a successful and happy consummation.
| 1602 Marston Antonio's Rev. v. v. Wks. 1856 I. 138 Fortune crown your brave attempt. 1610 Shakes. Temp. iii. i. 69 O heauen..crowne what I professe with kinde euent. 1639 Fuller Holy War iii. xxvii. (1840) 167 Inconsiderate projects..if crowned with success, have been above censure. 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. iii. 137 Let Pollio's fortune crown his full desires. 1766 Goldsm. Vic. W. x, The hours we pass with happy prospects in view are more pleasing than those crowned with fruition. 1870 E. Peacock Ralf Skirl. II. 195 Success did not immediately crown his efforts. 1878 Morley Diderot I. 31 His wishes should be crowned, if he could procure the consent of his family. |
11. To bless, amplify, or endow with honour, dignity, plenty, etc. Now
poetic.
| 1535 Coverdale Ps. lxiv. 11 Thou crownest the yeare [Wyclif schalt blesse to the croune of the ȝer] with thy good, and thy footsteppes droppe fatnesse. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 3 b, Beseeching God..that he wyll crowne the yeere with his plenteousness. 1611 Bible Ecclus. xix. 5 He that resisteth pleasures, crowneth his life. 1697 Dryden Virg. Past. iv. 78 No God shall crown the Board, nor Goddess bless the Bed. Ibid. vii. 57 Come..crown the silent Hours, and stop the rosy Morn. 1863 W. Phillips Speeches xi. 252 High purposes which crowned his life. |
II. Technical senses.
† 12. trans. To mark (a person) with the tonsure as a sign of admission to the state of a cleric.
Obs.| c 1290 Beket 557 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 122 A bonde-man..schal nouȝt with-oute is louerdes leue noȝwere i-crouned beo. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. vi. 56 Clerkes þat aren crouned. |
13. In
Draughts or
Checkers, to make (a piece that reaches the opponent's ‘crown-head’ or marginal line of squares) into a ‘king’ which can move forward or backward.
This is done by placing on it another piece already off the board, or when the pieces are marked with a crown or other distinguishing mark on one side, by turning this up so as to expose the ‘crown’.
| 1850 Bohn's Handbk. Games, He is..made a King by having another piece put on, which is called crowning him. 1863 Hoyle's Games Modernized, Draughts 266 When the men of either opponent have made their way to the opposite end of the board..they receive increased power: they are then ‘crowned’... Thus crowned the piece may be moved backwards as well as forwards. |
14. Naut. to crown a knot: to form into a sort of knot by interweaving the strands of the rope so as to prevent untwisting.
| 1848 G. Biddlecombe Art of Rigging 44 Crowning or Finishing a Wall-Knot. |
15. Milit. To effect a lodgement upon (as upon the covered way in a siege), by sapping upon a glacis near the crest. Webster 1864.
16. Dentistry. To put an artificial crown (see
crown n. 28 b) on (a tooth).
| 1885 I. E. & R. E. Clifford Crown, Bar, & Bridge-work 6 Roots decayed too far for pivoting can be crowned. 1907 Westm. Gaz. 23 Oct. 9/1 The teeth were crowned. 1963 C. R. Cowell et al. Inlays, Crowns, & Bridges vii. 66 The mobility of any tooth to be crowned must be tested. |
III. 17. to crown in (
intr.): to subside and fall in as a crust over an interior hollow.
| 1880 D. C. Murray Life's Atonement II. iii. 78 The land had given way and..fallen into the hollow left by some disused coal-mine—had crowned-in the country people say. |
▸
Obstetr. a. trans. (in
pass.). Of the baby's head as it advances during labour: (originally)
† to appear encircled by the dilating cervix (
obs.); (later) to be encircled by the vulval opening (
cf. sense Additions b).
| 1673 H. Chamberlen tr. F. Mauriceau Accomplisht Midwife ii. viii. 168 When the Infants Head begins to advance into this inward Orifice, tis commonly said it is crowned, because it girds and surrounds it, just as a Crown. 1744 R. Manningham Abstr. Midwifry 9 It often happens to prove otherwise, even after..the Mouth of the Womb be sufficiently open for the Head of the Infant to be crowned. 1913 C. Berkeley & V. Bonney Diffic. & Emergencies Obstetr. Pract. 447 When the head is ‘crowned’ he should prevent it being delivered in the height of a pain. 1930 Lancet 25 Oct. 920/1 The patient is allowed to stay on her back until the head is crowned and in some cases, until it is born. 1963 G. B. Carter et al. Dict. Midwifery & Public Health (ed. 2) 130/1 The head is said to be crowned in a vertex presentation when its greatest circumference has passed through the vulval orifice during the second stage of labour. 1979 G. Bourne Pregnancy (rev. ed.) xxvi. 410 The modern practice is to give an injection of either ergometrine or syntometrine as soon as the baby's head is crowned. |
b. intr. Of the baby's head in labour: to appear fully in the vaginal opening prior to emerging, without receding between contractions.
| 1915 Lancet 27 Nov. 1186 The vertex is in the process of crowning, the pains regular and strong. 1981 S. Kitzinger Experience of Childbirth (ed. 4) ii. 47 (caption) The head crowns, and the mother may be able to look down and see it if she is in a suitable position. 1993 Mother & Baby Feb. 40/3 Many pushes later I was able to see our first baby's head crowning, and with one last push our son, Kyle, was born. 2003 K. Bowman & L. Ryan Twins 107 The decision about whether or not you need an episiotomy isn't made until the first baby's head crowns. |
▪ III. † crown, v.2 Obs. exc. dial. [Back-formation from crowner2, coroner.] trans. To hold a coroner's inquest on.
| 1602 Carew Cornwall (1769) 112 b, Possesseth sundry large privileges..to wit..crowning of dead persons, laying of arrests, and other Admirall rights. c 1630 Risdon Surv. Devon §215 (1810) 224 If any man die..in the forest, the coroner of Lidford shall crown him. 1673 Par. Reg. Hartlepool in R. E. C. Waters Parish Registers Eng. 62 Tho. Smailes was buryed and crowned by a jury of 12 men, and John Harrison supposed to murder him. 1888 in W. Somerset Word-bk. |
▪ IV. crown arch. pa. pple. of
crow v.
1 q.v.