Entronise

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To place someone on a throne and formally invest them with royal power and authority
2. To install a ruler ceremonially upon a throne, establishing them as a sovereign
3. To seat a monarch upon a throne and confer upon them the right to reign

Etymology: The root of this word is simply a chair. Ancient Greek "thronos" meant a seat, especially a raised, dignified one. It passed through Late Latin "thronus" into Old French "trone," which produced the verb "enthroner," to set someone on a throne. The prefix "en-" means "into" or "onto," so the literal idea is putting a person into a seat of power. English likely borrowed the verb from French in the Middle Ages, when spellings varied widely. "Entronise" is one of those older spellings and is no longer standard. The verb has always carried ceremonial weight, describing a bishop taking his seat in a cathedral or a ruler beginning a reign. Later writers extended it figuratively, so that an idea or habit could be said to enthrone itself as dominant.

Synonyms: enthrone, crown, install

Antonyms: dethrone, depose