coronation

noun

cor·​o·​na·​tion ˌkȯr-ə-ˈnā-shən 

ˌkär-

: the act or occasion of crowning

also : accession to the highest office

Examples of coronation in a Sentence

the coronation of Queen Elizabeth

Recent Examples on the Web

The collection spans from the earliest surviving color photo of a member of the royal family to the Queen Mother's personal copy of Queen Elizabeth's coronation portrait from 1953 to Andy Warhol's glittering portrait of the Queen in 1985 and one of Kate Middleton's 40th birthday portraits. —Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024

The first official portrait of Charles III since his coronation was unveiled on Tuesday at Buckingham Palace. —Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English coronacioun, borrowed from Anglo-French coronacion, borrowed from Medieval Latin corōnātiōn-, corōnātiō (Late Latin, "wreathing"), from Latin corōnare "to deck with flowers, wreathe, crown entry 2" + -tiōn-, -tiō, suffix of verbal action

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

coronation

noun

cor·​o·​na·​tion ˌkȯr-ə-ˈnā-shən 

ˌkär-

: the act or ceremony of crowning a king or queen