cranium

[ krey-nee-uhm ]
See synonyms for cranium on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural cra·ni·ums, cra·ni·a [krey-nee-uh]. /ˈkreɪ ni ə/.
  1. the skull of a vertebrate.

  2. the part of the skull that encloses the brain.

Origin of cranium

1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English craneum, from Medieval Latin crānium, from Greek krāníon “skull”; akin to kerato-, cerebrum, cornu, horn

Words Nearby cranium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cranium in a sentence

  • Old Sanders tapped with both hands on his shining cranium and asked, Are you confident he loves her?

    The Fifth String   | John Philip Sousa
  • And old Sanders again tapped in the rhythm of a dirge on his parchment-bound cranium.

    The Fifth String   | John Philip Sousa
  • Suddenly the old man beat a tattoo on his cranium and closed his eyes, apparently deep in thought.

    The Fifth String   | John Philip Sousa
  • The cranium has a low, depressed arch, with a very narrow frontal region and highly developed superciliary ridges.

    Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
  • Seventh, his great thickness of cranium, which resists blows that would break the skull of an average European.

    Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris

British Dictionary definitions for cranium

cranium

/ (ˈkreɪnɪəm) /


nounplural -niums or -nia (-nɪə)
  1. the skull of a vertebrate

  2. the part of the skull that encloses the brain: Nontechnical name: brainpan

Origin of cranium

1
C16: from Medieval Latin crānium skull, from Greek kranion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cranium

cranium

[ krānē-əm ]


Plural craniums crania
  1. The vertebrate skull, especially the part that encloses and protects the brain.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for cranium

cranium

[ (kray-nee-uhm) ]


The part of the skull that encloses the brain.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.