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crown

Apparel
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A circular headpiece worn by a monarch as a symbol of absolute authority and sovereignty, one of the most potent poetic symbols for power, victory, and the weight of rule.

Detailed Definition
The crown is arguably the most recognizable and symbolically loaded garment in all of literature, appearing in countless poems from ancient epics to modern political verse. Its gold, jewels, and raised arches project majesty, but poets have long explored its dual nature—the crown as a glorious honor and as a heavy, isolating burden. Shakespeare's "heavy is the head that wears the crown" is only one of many poetic meditations. In religious poetry, the crown of thorns contrasts with the royal crown, playing on the inversion of worldly and spiritual power. In elegies, the crown can be a relic of a lost age. Poets also use the crown in natural imagery—the "crown" of a tree or hill—extending its symbolism to the natural world. Its circular form suggests completeness and perfection, but also the cyclical nature of dynasties.
Example
Example in poetry:
"The world has crowned a thousand kings" ("The Englishman"); "A crown for the victor—a crown of light!" (Specimens of American Poetry); "Lay crowns that were glittering like circlets of light" (Agnes Neale); "Heavy is the head who wears it but only the worthy can live to bear it" (Dwayne Green Jr.); "Deigne at my hands this crown of prayer and praise" (John Donne, "La Corona"); "I wear a crown invisible and clear, and go my lifted royal way apart" (Sara Teasdale)
Additional Notes
The crown is arguably the most recognizable and symbolically loaded garment in all of literature, appearing in countless poems from ancient epics to modern political verse. Its gold, jewels, and raised arches project majesty, but poets have long explored its dual nature—the crown as a glorious honor and as a heavy, isolating burden. Shakespeare's "heavy is the head that wears the crown" is only one of many poetic meditations on this theme. In religious poetry, the crown of thorns contrasts with the royal crown, playing on the inversion of worldly and spiritual power. In elegies, the crown can be a relic of a lost age. Poets also use the crown in natural imagery—the "crown" of a tree or hill—extending its symbolism to the natural world. Its circular form suggests completeness and perfection, but also the cyclical nature of dynasties. Related terms include diadem, coronet, and tiara. Students should note the crown's unparalleled ability to condense themes of power, responsibility, sacrifice, and mortality into a single image.
Other Meanings of “crown”
Also Known As
royal diadem kingly circlet sovereign headpiece
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