investiture

American  

[in-ves-ti-cher, -choor] / ɪnˈvɛs tɪ tʃər, -ˌtʃʊər /

noun

1. the act or process of investing.

2. the formal bestowal, confirmation, or presentation of rank, office, or a possessory or prescriptive right, usually involving the giving of insignia or an official title.

3. the state of being invested, as with a garment, quality, or office.

4. something that covers or adorns.

5. Archaic. something that invests.

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investiture British  

/ ɪnˈvɛstɪtʃə /

noun

1. the act of presenting with a title or with the robes and insignia of an office or rank

2. (in feudal society) the formal bestowal of the possessory right to a fief or other benefice

3. a less common word for investment

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• investitive
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of investiture

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin investītūra, equivalent to investīt(us) (past participle of investīre “to install”; see invest) + -ūra -ure

Explanation

Investiture is what happens when a government official, a judge, or a head of state is formally put into office or promoted to a higher rank. The investiture of a king or queen involves an elaborate, lengthy ceremony. The noun investiture is good for describing the process of naming a judge or a church bishop, for example, to office. Investitures tend to include ritual ceremony and the symbolic transfer of a position from one person to the next. In the U.S., Supreme Court justices are invested with the position — which literally means "clothed in the official robes of office." Both words stem from the Latin investire, "clothe in" or "cover."

Example Sentences

Investiture into a masculine order�an army unit or the Masons�is like marriage, which explains in part the thread that binds the warrior to his buddy.

From Time Magazine Archive

These two dates influenced European and American history far more than the Investiture Conflict or the Golden Bull .

From Time Magazine Archive

Another thing on which Gregory set his heart, as a means of increasing the power of the popes, was to do away with what was called Investiture.

From Sketches of Church History From A.D. 33 to the Reformation by Robertson, James Craigie

A few days before the Investiture I went to London and called at Lady Fanshawe's in Eccleston Street, whither he had been removed after leaving the hospital.

From The Red Planet by Locke, William John

It hadn't been anywhere near as simple as the Investiture he had gone through to become a demi-God.

From Pagan Passions by Stanley, Robert