coronary [E17th] In the 17th century coronary had the meanings ‘like a crown’ or ‘suitable for making garlands’, from Latin corona, ‘a crown or wreath’. In medical contexts the term came to refer to blood vessels, nerves, or ligaments that encircle a part of the body like a crown, in particular the arteries surrounding the heart [L17th]. A coronary thrombosis [M20th], frequently abbreviated just to coronary, is a blood clot forming a blockage in one of these arteries. Other crown-related words that descend from corona are coronation [LME], coronet [LME], corona [M17th] (see also virus), and coroner [ME] (originally an official responsible for safeguarding the private property of the Crown), not to mention the word *crown itself.