Crown (kr?n), p. p. of
Crow. [Obs.]
Crown (kroun), n. [OE.
corone, coroun, crune, croun, OF.
corone, corune, F. couronne, fr. L.
corona crown, wreath; akin to Gr. korw`nh
anything curved, crown; cf. also L. curvus curved, E.
curve, curb, Gael. cruinn round, W.
crwn. Cf. Cornice, Corona, Coroner,
Coronet.] 1. A wreath or garland, or
any ornamental fillet encircling the head, especially as a reward
of victory or mark of honorable distinction; hence, anything
given on account of, or obtained by, faithful or successful
effort; a reward. "An olive branch and laurel
crown." Shak.
They do it to obtain a corruptible crown;
but we an incorruptible.
1 Cor. ix. 25.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee
a crown of life.
Rev. ii. 10.
2. A royal headdress or cap of
sovereignty, worn by emperors, kings, princes, etc.
&fist; Nobles wear coronets; the triple crown of
the pope is usually called a tiara. The crown of
England is a circle of gold with crosses, fleurs-de-lis, and
imperial arches, inclosing a crimson velvet cap, and ornamented
with thousands of diamonds and precious stones.
3. The person entitled to wear a regal or
imperial crown; the sovereign; -- with the definite
article.
Parliament may be dissolved by the demise of the
crown.
Blackstone.
Large arrears of pay were due to the civil and
military servants of the crown.
Macaulay.
4. Imperial or regal power or dominion;
sovereignty.
There is a power behind the crown greater
than the crown itself.
Junius.
5. Anything which imparts beauty,
splendor, honor, dignity, or finish.
The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it
be found in the way of righteousness.
Prov. xvi. 31.
A virtuous woman is a crown to her
husband.
Prov. xvi. 4.
6. Highest state; acme; consummation;
perfection.
Mutual love, the crown of all our
bliss.
Milton.
7. The topmost part of anything; the
summit.
The steepy crown of the bare mountains.
Dryden.
8. The topmost part of the head (see
Illust. of Bird.); that part of the head from which
the hair descends toward the sides and back; also, the head or
brain.
From toe to crown he'll fill our skin with
pinches.
Shak.
Twenty things which I set down:
This done, I twenty more-had in my crown.
Bunyan.
9. The part of a hat above the
brim.
10. (Anat.) The part of a tooth
which projects above the gum; also, the top or grinding surface
of a tooth.
11. (Arch.) The vertex or top of
an arch; -- applied generally to about one third of the curve,
but in a pointed arch to the apex only.
12. (Bot.) Same as
Corona.
13. (Naut.) (a)
That part of an anchor where the arms are joined to the
shank. (b) The rounding, or rounded
part, of the deck from a level line. (c)
pl. The bights formed by the several turns of a
cable. Totten.
14. The upper range of facets in a rose
diamond.
15. The dome of a furnace.
16. (Geom.) The area inclosed
between two concentric perimeters.
17. (Eccl.) A round spot shaved
clean on the top of the head, as a mark of the clerical state;
the tonsure.
18. A size of writing paper. See under
Paper.
19. A coin stamped with the image of a
crown; hence,a denomination of money; as, the English
crown, a silver coin of the value of five shillings
sterling, or a little more than $1.20; the Danish or Norwegian
crown, a money of account, etc., worth nearly twenty-seven
cents.
20. An ornaments or decoration
representing a crown; as, the paper is stamped with a
crown.
Crown of aberration (Astron.), a
spurious circle around the true circle of the sun. --
Crown antler (Zoöl.), the
topmost branch or tine of an antler; also, an antler having a
cuplike top, with tines springing from the rim. --
Crown bar, one of the bars which support
the crown sheet of steam-boiler furnace. -- Crown
glass. See under Glass. --
Crown imperial. (Bot.) See in the
Vocabulary. -- Crown jewels, the
jewels appertaining to the sovereign while wearing the
crown. [Eng.] "She pawned and set to sale the crown
jewels." Milton. -- Crown land,
land belonging to the crown, that is, to the sovereign.
-- Crown law, the law which governs
criminal prosecutions. [Eng.] -- Crown
lawyer, one employed by the crown, as in criminal
cases. [Eng.] -- Crown octavo. See
under Paper. -- Crown office.
See in the Vocabulary. -- Crown paper.
See under Paper. -- Crown
piece. See in the Vocabulary. --
Crown Prince, the heir apparent to a crown
or throne. -- Crown saw. See in the
Vocabulary. -- Crown scab (Far.),
a cancerous sore formed round the corners of a horse's
hoof. -- Crown sheet, the flat plate
which forms the top of the furnace or fire box of an internally
fired steam boiler. -- Crown shell.
(Zoöl.) See Acorn-shell. --
Crown side. See Crown office. --
Crown tax (Eccl. Hist.), a golden
crown, or its value, which was required annually from the Jews by
the king of Syria, in the time of the Maccabees. 1 Macc.
x. 20. -- Crown wheel. See in the
Vocabulary. -- Crown work. See in the
Vocabulary. -- Pleas of the crown
(Engl. law), criminal actions.
Crown (kroun), v. t. [imp.
& p. p. Crowned (kround); p. pr. & vb.
n. Crowning.] [OE. coronen,
corunen, crunien, crounien, OF.
coroner, F. couronner, fr. L. coronare,
fr. corona a crown. See Crown,
n.] 1. To cover, decorate,
or invest with a crown; hence, to invest with royal dignity and
power.
Her who fairest does appear,
Crown her queen of all the year.
Dryden.
Crown him, and say, "Long live our
emperor."
Shak.
2. To bestow something upon as a mark of
honor, dignity, or recompense; to adorn; to dignify.
Thou . . . hast crowned him with glory and
honor.
Ps. viii. 5.
3. To form the topmost or finishing part
of; to complete; to consummate; to perfect.
Amidst the grove that crowns yon tufted
hill.
Byron.
One day shall crown the alliance.
Shak.
To crown the whole, came a proposition.
Motley.
4. (Mech.) To cause to round
upward; to make anything higher at the middle than at the edges,
as the face of a machine pulley.
5. (Mil.) To effect a lodgment
upon, as upon the crest of the glacis, or the summit of the
breach.
To crown a knot (Naut.), to lay
the ends of the strands over and under each other.
