Crown

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
crown/kraʊn/

▶noun

• 1 a circular ornamental headdress worn by a monarch as a symbol of authority.

  ■ (the Crown) the monarchy or reigning monarch.

  ■ a wreath of leaves or flowers, especially that worn as an emblem of victory in ancient Greece or Rome.

• 2 an award or distinction gained by a victory or achievement, especially in sport.

• 3 the top or highest part.

  ■ the top part of a person's head or a hat.

  ■ the upper branching part of a tree or other plant.

  ■ the upper part of a cut gem, above the girdle.

• 4 the part of a tooth projecting from the gum.

  ■ an artificial replacement or covering for the upper part of a tooth.

• 5 a British coin with a face value of five shillings or 25 pence, now minted only for commemorative purposes.

• 6 (in full metric crown) a paper size, 384 × 504 mm.

  ■ (in full crown octavo) a book size, 186 × 123 mm.

  ■ (in full crown quarto) a book size, 246 × 189 mm.

▶verb

• 1 ceremonially place a crown on the head of (someone) to invest them as a monarch.

  ■ declare to be the best, especially at a sport: he was crowned world champion.

  ■ (in draughts) promote (a piece) to king by placing another on top of it.

• 2 rest on or form the top of.

• 3 be the triumphant culmination of (an effort or endeavour).

• 4 fit a crown to (a tooth).

• 5 informal hit on the head.

• 6 (of a baby's head during labour) fully appear in the vaginal opening prior to emerging.

– origin ME: from Anglo-Norman Fr. corune (n.), coruner (v.), OFr. corone, coroner, from L. corona ‘wreath, chaplet’.