1. [n]  the part of a hat (the vertex) covering the crown of the head
2. [n]  an ornamental jewelled headdress signifying sovereignty
3. [n]  a wreath or garland worn on the head to signify victory
4. [n]  the center of a cambered road
5. [n]  the enamel covered part of a tooth above the gum
6. [n]  the top of the head
7. [n]  the award given to the champion
8. [n]  the crown as a symbol of a monarchy; "the colonies revolted against the crown"
9. [n]  the top point of a mountain or hill; "the view from the peak was magnificent"; "they clambered to the summit of Monadnock"
10. [n]  the upper branches and leaves of a tree
11. [n]  an English coin worth 5 shillings
12. [v]  be the culminating event; "The speech crowned the meeting"
13. [v]  put a crown on; "crown my teeth"
14. [v]  invest with regal power; enthrone; "The prince was crowned in Westminster Abbey"
15. [v]  form the topmost part of; "A weather vane crowns the building"

1. \Crown\ (kr?n),
   p. p. of {Crow}. [Obs.]
   

2. \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.
   Note: 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} (Zo["o]l.), 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}. (Zo["o]l.) 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.
   

3. \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.
   

(1.) Denotes the plate of gold in the front of the high priest's mitre (Ex. 29:6; 39:30). The same Hebrew word so rendered (ne'zer) denotes the diadem worn by Saul in battle (2 Sam. 1:10), and also that which was used at the coronation of Joash (2 Kings 11:12).

(2.) The more general name in Hebrew for a crown is _'atarah_, meaning a "circlet." This is used of crowns and head ornaments of divers kinds, including royal crowns. Such was the crown taken from the king of Ammon by David (2 Sam. 12:30). The crown worn by the Assyrian kings was a high mitre, sometimes adorned with flowers. There are sculptures also representing the crowns worn by the early Egyptian and Persian kings. Sometimes a diadem surrounded the royal head-dress of two or three fillets. This probably signified that the wearer had dominion over two or three countries. In Rev. 12:3; 13:1, we read of "many crowns," a token of extended dominion.

(3.) The ancient Persian crown (Esther 1:11; 2:17; 6:8) was called _kether_; i.e., "a chaplet," a high cap or tiara. Crowns were worn sometimes to represent honour and power (Ezek. 23:42). They were worn at marriages (Cant. 3:11; Isa. 61:10, "ornaments;" R.V., "a garland"), and at feasts and public festivals.

The crown was among the Romans and Greeks a symbol of victory and reward. The crown or wreath worn by the victors in the Olympic games was made of leaves of the wild olive; in the Pythian games, of laurel; in the Nemean games, of parsley; and in the Isthmian games, of the pine. The Romans bestowed the "civic crown" on him who saved the life of a citizen. It was made of the leaves of the oak. In opposition to all these fading crowns the apostles speak of the incorruptible crown, the crown of life (James 1:12; Rev. 2:10) "that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:4, Gr. amarantinos; comp. 1:4). Probably the word "amaranth" was applied to flowers we call "everlasting," the "immortal amaranth."