cephalic
adjective
of or relating to the head.
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cephalic
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-cephalic
-cephalicvariant of -cephalous.
cephalic
1 American
[suh-fal-ik]
/ səˈfæl ɪk /
adjective
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of or relating to the head.
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situated or directed toward the head.
-cephalic
2
American
-cephalic
1
British
combining form
cephalic
2
British
/ sɪˈfælɪk /
adjective
-
of or relating to the head
-
situated in, on, or near the head
cephalic
Scientific
/ sə-făl′ĭk /
Usage
What does -cephalic mean? The combining form -cephalic is used like a suffix meaning “having a head or heads.” It is often used in medical and scientific terms. The form -cephalic comes from the Greek kephalḗ, meaning “head.”The combining form -cephalic is a variant of -cephalous, as in dicephalous. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use -cephalous article. Corresponding forms of -cephalic combined to the beginning of words are cephalo- and cephal-, which you can learn more about in our Words That Use articles for each form. Also deriving from kephalḗ are the combining forms encephalo- and encephal-, meaning “brain.” Discover how these forms are used in our Words That Use encephalo- and encephal- articles.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cephalic1
1590–1600; < Latin cephalicus < Greek kephalikós of the head. See cephal-, -ic
Origin of -cephalic2
< Greek -kephal ( os ) -cephalous + -ic
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Schmidt Cephalic Carnage Anomalies Relapse Records The loonies in Cephalic Carnage are back at it again with another bona fide grindfest.
From Time Magazine Archive
Cephalic index 80.4 Length-Height index 70.9 Breadth-Height index 87.4 Nasal index 77.9 Eyes—Dark brown, 3–4 of Martin table.
From The Tinguian Social, Religious, and Economic Life of a Philippine Tribe by Cole, Fay-Cooper
Cephalic disk enlarged anteriorly, forming an open tube posteriorly; shell external, thick, with prominent spire; no operculum.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5 "Gassendi, Pierre" to "Geocentric" by Various
Cephalic index 80.1 Length-Height index 73.1 Breadth-Height index 90.0 Nasal index 79.8 Page 252 Eyes—Dark brown, 3–4 of Martin table.
From The Tinguian Social, Religious, and Economic Life of a Philippine Tribe by Cole, Fay-Cooper
Cephalic shield ending posteriorly in a median point; shell internal, largely membranous; no radula or stomachal plates.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5 "Gassendi, Pierre" to "Geocentric" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
