corona

Definition

A large, round, pendent chandelier, with spikes around its upper rim to hold candles or lamps, usually hung from the roof of a church.

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Latin corōna (“crown; garland, wreath”), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē, “type of crown; curved object (door handle, tip of a bow, stern of a ship, etc.)”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to turn, bend”). The English word is a doublet of crown, korona, koruna, krona, króna, and krone. The plural form coronae is borrowed from Latin corōnae. The verb is derived from the noun.

Example Sentences

• "The magnificent bronze corona, or luminaria, which still hangs in the central octagon, shews the skill of the workmen in bronze of that period."
• "Is it probable that this depression has arisen from the distorting effect of some form of head dress, similar perhaps to that which is still applied to the heads of infants in various parts of France, as described by Drs. Foville and Lunier? This consists of a neckerchief passed twice round the head from the corona either to the back of the neck, when the resulting deformity (which is that of the Charlcombe skull) is designated annular by Dr. Gosse; or is carried under the chin and jaw, when it is termed bilobed by the same writer."
• "The ophthalmic division supplies sensation from the eyebrows to the coronal suture. The sensory innervation stops at the corona, not at the hairline, and this fact may help one to differentiate a true abnormality from a factitious one, since people who are “faking” sensory loss more often lose sensation at the hairline."

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