investiture
/ɪnˈvɛstɪtʃə
/noun [mass noun]
1The action of formally investing a person with honours or rank: the investiture of bishops...
- As the Mughal Empire became more Byzantine and corrupt, the traditional emblem of honour and investiture, the khilat, took on ominous meanings, reflected in the legends that questioned the purity of the khilat as a medium of power.
- In time fresh quarrels developed about the practice of lay investiture of bishops, still practised in England, although prohibited by the papacy since the 1070s, and in 1103 Anselm again went into exile.
- Also honoured at yesterday's Buckingham Palace investiture was champion javelin thrower Steve Backley who collected an OBE.
1.1 [count noun] A ceremony at which honours or rank are formally conferred on a particular person.Standing would have to be minimised so it might be necessary for investitures, early this year, to be performed by another senior member of the Royal Family, probably the Prince of Wales....
- Until a few years ago, only a small number of southerners such as Bob Geldof and Terry Wogan had been invited around to Buckingham Palace for investitures.
- This has been gradually taking place over the past few years, with the heir to the throne doing an increasing number of engagements and investitures.
Synonyms
inauguration, appointment, installation, instatement, induction, initiation, swearing in;
ordination, consecration;
crowning, enthroning, enthronement, accession
Origin
Late Middle English: from medieval Latin investitura, from investire (see invest).
- non-gremial
- non-haem
- non-happening
- non-hearer
- non-hearing
- non-heme
- nonhereditary
- non-Hermitian
- non-hero
- non-hierarchic
- non-hierarchical
- nonhistorical
- non-Hodgkin
- non-Hodgkins
- non-Hodgkin's
- non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
- non-homogeneous
- non-homologous
- non-homosexual
- non-hostile
- non-human
- noni
- nonic
- nonideal
- nonideality