Etymograph

English

coronation

Coronation comes from Latin corōnō ‘to coronate, crown’, from Ancient Greek κορώνη ‘crow’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱorh₂-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱorh₂-1reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκορώνη1korṓnē‘crow’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorōna1‘crown’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorōnō2‘to coronate, crown’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CE*corōnātiōnem2reconstructed
  6. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400coronacion2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500coronacion2
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596coronation2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin corono
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English coronation
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Iohn: “Some reaſons of this double Corronation / I haue…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱorh₂-Wiktionary, Latin coronoreconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκορώνηWiktionary, Latin coronokorṓnē‘crow’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorōnaWiktionary, Latin corono‘crown’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcorōnōWiktionary, English coronation‘to coronate, crown’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CE*corōnātiōnemWiktionary, English coronationreconstructed
  6. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400coronacionWiktionary, English coronation
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500coronacionWiktionary, English coronation
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1596coronationWiktionary, English coronation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1596, William Shakespeare, The Life and Death of King Iohn: “Some reaſons of this double Corronation / I haue…”

The story

Corōnō is derived from corōna (‘garland, wreath; crown’).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ḱorh₂-

corniche, 13 more

through Ancient Greek κορώνη ‘crow’

corollary, 15 more

through Latin corōna ‘crown’

crown, tosh, corolla, krona, 16 more

through Latin corōnō ‘to coronate, crown’

crowning, 4 more

Today it means

noun An act of investing with a crown; a crowning.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “coronation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin corono. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱorh₂- / coronation

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