crown

Everyday

1. A crown is a round ornament, often gold with jewels, that a king or queen wears on the head. tree →
2. The Crown means the power of the king or queen and the government. tree →
3. The crown is the top part of something, like your head, a hat, a tree or a tooth. tree →
4. A crown is a cover a dentist puts on a damaged tooth. tree →
5. To crown means to put a crown on someone to make them king or queen, or to declare someone a winner. tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons, pupils learn about kings, queens and coronations. In stories and fairy tales, crowns mean power. In everyday life, a winner can be crowned champion. Phrases: wear a crown, be crowned, the crown jewels, crown of the head.

Examples

• The queen wore a golden crown. tree →
• The new king was crowned in the abbey. tree →
• She was crowned champion of the spelling bee. tree →
• We made paper crowns for the party. tree →
• The crown jewels are kept in the Tower of London. tree →
• The dentist put a crown on my grandma's tooth. tree →
• The ball hit him on the crown of his head. tree →
• "Then give me your gold crown." tree →

Note

Countable noun; verb: crowned. A coronation is when a king or queen is crowned. Rhymes with down and town. A crown is also an old coin in Britain and money in some countries.

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah a crown is a gold rim on a holy object or a priest's headdress, such as the ark, the table or the high priest's mitre. In the Prophets and Writings it is also the royal crown of a king, a sign of honour and glory, and "to crown" can mean to honour or bless, as God crowns the year with goodness.

Interpretation. Tradition counts three crowns: of Torah, priesthood and kingship, and says the crown of a good name is greater than all. In Sefer Yetzirah, "crowned" letters are given rule over parts of the world. Tradition reads losing a crown, as Job says, as losing honour and standing.

Examples

• And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereto a crown of gold round about. (Torah EXO.37.11, JPS 1917) tree →
• And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. (Torah EXO.25.24, JPS 1917) tree →
• And thou shalt set the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. (Torah EXO.29.6, JPS 1917) tree →
• Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness; and Thy paths drop fatness. (Writings PSA.65.12, JPS 1917) tree →
• He hath stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. (Writings JOB.19.9, JPS 1917) tree →
• His enemies will I clothe with shame; but upon himself shall his crown shine.' (Writings PSA.132.18, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Countable noun; verb: crowned. A coronation is when a king or queen is crowned. Rhymes with down and town. A crown is also an old coin in Britain and money in some countries.

Early Modern English

Meaning

A ring of gold or jewels worn on the head by a king or queen; in the Sefer Yetzirah sentence it means the highest point of a list. tree →

Then and now

Today it means a king's or queen's ornament. In the Sefer Yetzirah sentence "the highest Crown" means the top of a series of spiritual levels.

Examples

• And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereto a crown of gold round about. (Torah EXO.37.11, JPS 1917) tree →
• "But hadn't my great-great-however-much-it-is-grandfather a crown?" (The Book of Dragons) tree →
• The highest Crown is Kether, the First Sephira, the first emanation from the Ain Suph Aur, the Limit- less LightC (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →

Note

Today: crown; top, highest point.