# crowning

Pronunciation: say "KROW-ning" /ˈkɹaʊnɪŋ/

## Adjective

1. Greatest or most outstanding; representing the highest point of a series or achievement.
   - Simple: The greatest or best part of something, better than all the rest.
   - _The peace treaty was the crowning success of his years in office._
   - _Restoring the cathedral's spire was the crowning task of the whole project._
3. Situated at the top or summit, forming the highest part of something.
   - Simple: Sitting at the very top or highest point of something.
   - _The crowning spire of the castle was visible from the far side of the valley._
   - _Snow still clung to the crowning peak long after the lower slopes had thawed._

## Verb

2. Present participle of crown. — present participle and gerund of crown
   - Simple: Present participle of crown. Use this form for the action happening right now.
   - _The committee is crowning this year's champion at tonight's banquet._
   - _Crowning the hilltop, an old stone chapel overlooked the valley._

## Noun

4. In vaginal birth, the stage at which the baby's head stays visible at the opening of the vulva rather than slipping back between contractions.
   - Simple: The moment in childbirth when the baby's head stays visible at the opening.
   - _The doctor announced crowning and coached her to ease the head out gently._
   - _At crowning, supporting the perineum can help prevent tearing._
5. The act of placing a crown on someone, whether in a royal ceremony or as another kind of honor.
   - Simple: The act of placing a crown on a person's head.
   - _The crowning of the festival's harvest queen drew the whole village to the square._
   - _His friends staged a mock crowning to celebrate his retirement._
6. A coronation; the formal ceremony at which a new monarch begins their reign.
   - Simple: A special ceremony where a person is made king or queen.
   - _The crowning took place in the ancient abbey before guests from many nations._
   - _Medieval crownings were often followed by days of feasting and ceremony._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3** — From Middle English crowninge or crounende, equivalent to crown plus the suffix -ing.
**Meanings 4–6** — From Middle English crouninge, coroning, or coronyng, equivalent to crown plus the suffix -ing.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/crowning (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).