crown

noun

• 1a circular ornamental headdress worn by a monarch as a symbol of authority, usually made of or decorated with precious metals and jewels.
• (the Crown) the reigning monarch, representing a country’s government:their loyalty to the Church came before their loyalty to the Crown
• (usually the Crown) the power or authority residing in the monarchy:they claimed immunity on behalf of the Crown
• an ornament, emblem, or badge shaped like a crown.
• a wreath of leaves or flowers, especially that worn as an emblem of victory in ancient Greece or Rome.
• an award or distinction gained by a victory or achievement, especially in sports:the world heavyweight crown

• 2the top or highest part of something:the crown of the hill
• the top part of a person’s head or a hat.
• the part of a plant just above and below the ground from which the roots and shoots branch out.
• the upper branching or spreading part of a tree or other plant.
• the upper part of a cut gem, above the girdle.
• the part of a tooth projecting from the gum.
• an artificial replacement or covering for the upper part of a tooth.
• the point of an anchor at which the arms reach the shaft.

• 3 (also crown piece) a British coin with a face value of five shillings or 25 pence, now minted only for commemorative purposes.
• a foreign coin with a name meaning ‘crown,’ especially the krona or krone.

• 4 (in full metric crown) a paper size, now standardized at 384 × 504 mm.
• (in full crown octavo) a book size, now standardized at 186 × 123 mm.
• (in full crown quarto) a book size, now standardized at 246 × 189 mm.

verb

• 1 (usually be crowned) ceremonially place a crown on the head of (someone) in order to invest them as a monarch:he went to Rome to be crowned [with complement]:she was crowned queen in 1953
• [with obj and complement] declare or acknowledge (someone) as the best, especially at a sport:he was crowned world champion last September
• (in checkers) promote (a piece) to king by placing another on top of it.
• rest on or form the top of:the distant knoll was crowned with trees
• fit a crown to (a tooth).
• informal hit on the head:she contained the urge to crown him

• 2be the triumphant culmination of (an effort or endeavor, especially a prolonged one):years of struggle were crowned by a state visit to Paris (as adjective crowning)the crowning moment of a worthy career

• 3 [no object] (of a baby’s head during labor) fully appear in the vaginal opening prior to emerging.