English Dictionary

Definition of “crowning”

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crowning (ˈkraʊnɪŋPronunciation for crowning) 

Definitions

noun

  1. obstetrics the stage of labour when the infant's head is passing through the vaginal opening

crown (kraʊnPronunciation for crown) 

Definitions

noun

  1. an ornamental headdress denoting sovereignty, usually made of gold embedded with precious stones
  2. a wreath or garland for the head, awarded as a sign of victory, success, honour, etc
  3. (sometimes capital) monarchy or kingship
  4. an award, distinction, or title, given as an honour to reward merit, victory, etc
  5. anything resembling or symbolizing a crown, such as a sergeant major's badge or a heraldic bearing
    1. history a coin worth 25 pence (five shillings)
    2. any of several continental coins, such as the krona or krone, with a name meaning any of several continental coins, such as the krona or krone, with a name meaning crown
  7. the top or summit of something, esp of a rounded object  ⇒ crown of a hill crown of the head 
  8. the centre part of a road, esp when it is cambered
  9. botany 
    1. the leaves and upper branches of a tree
    2. the junction of root and stem, usually at the level of the ground
    3. another name for corona (sense 6)
  10. zoology 
    1. the cup and arms of a crinoid, as distinct from the stem
    2. the crest of a bird
  11. the outstanding quality, achievement, state, etc  ⇒ the crown of his achievements 
    1. the enamel-covered part of a tooth above the gum
    2. See artificial crown
  13. the part of a cut gem above the girdle
  14. horology a knurled knob for winding a watch
  15. the part of an anchor where the arms are joined to the shank
  16. the highest part of an arch or vault
  17. a standard size of printing paper, 15 by 20 inches

verb (tr)

  1. to put a crown on the head of, symbolically vesting with royal title, powers, etc
  2. to place a crown, wreath, garland, etc, on the head of
  3. to place something on or over the head or top of  ⇒ he crowned the pie with cream 
  4. to confer a title, dignity, or reward upon  ⇒ he crowned her best cook 
  5. to form the summit or topmost part of  ⇒ the steeple crowned the tower 
  6. to cap or put the finishing touch to a series of events  ⇒ to crown it all it rained, too 
  7. draughts to promote (a draught) to a king by placing another draught on top of it, as after reaching the end of the board
  8. to attach a crown to (a tooth)
  9. slang to hit over the head

Alternative Forms

ˈcrownless adjective

Word Origin

C12: from Old French corone,  from Latin corōna  wreath, crown, from Greek korōnē crown, something curved

Usage examples

  • That verdict, which produced no little amazement in the legal world, was the crowning blow.
    Adair, Tom (Intro), Three Kinds of Kissing - Scottish Short Stories (1993)
  • Then in a crowning epitaph, she added, "I will request the ministers concerned not to jeopardise investigations through public statements.
    India Today (2000)
  • Despite the fact that crowning achievements most often come at the end of a career, coronations usually signal the start of one.
    Toronto Sun (2003)
  • The idea of crowning a champion of the British Isles bit the dust biggest of all.
    Sun, News of the World (2005)
  • In Orthodoxy His Resurrection is more important than His Passion, the crowning moment of the Roman Church.
    Christopher Merrill, JOURNEY TO THE HOLY MOUNTAIN: Meditations on Mount Athos (2004)

Commonness

All English words that begin with 'C'

Related Terms

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