An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Krone

by Friedrich Kluge

Krone, feminine, ‘crown,’ from the equivalent Middle High German krône, krôn; in Old High German corôna (with the foreign accent preserved), from Latin cŏrôna (the unaccented ŏ disappeared in Middle High German); compare Middle English corûne, croune, English crown; in Middle Dutch the double form crône, krûne, existed, Dutch kroon, kruin. Scandinavian krúna, feminine. In Anglo-Saxon the term cyne-helm, literally ‘king's helmet,’ was substituted for Latin corona of the Biblical texts (just as sceptrum was rendered by cynegerd, literally ‘king's staff’); in Old Saxon and Old High German hôƀidband, houbitbant, ‘crown.’ These words show that the Teutons had their own distinctive terms for the royal insignia. With the Latin name they also borrowed a new idea —