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

• 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."