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cranial

American  
[krey-nee-uhl] / ˈkreɪ ni əl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the cranium or skull.


cranial British  
/ ˈkreɪnɪəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the skull

"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

cranial Scientific  
/ krānē-əl /
  1. Located in or involving the skull or cranium.


Other Word Forms

  • cranially adverb
  • intercranial adjective
  • precranial adjective
  • precranially adverb
  • subcranial adjective
  • subcranially adverb

Etymology

Origin of cranial

First recorded in 1790–1800; crani(um) + -al 1

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.

But one twin's diagnosis with acrania — a rare, fatal congenital disorder characterized by the full or partial absence of cranial bones — sent Brandt's world into a grief-stricken tailspin.

From Salon

Following the surgery, Mr Coles, who was 66, was unable to swallow due to cranial nerve damage.

From BBC

The reason: Wearing the devices just occasionally tricks your brain into thinking you don’t need them, and that’ll confuse the prized three-pound master cranial organ a top your spinal cord.

From Salon

For those who do survive, he added, 50 percent of them are left with long-term physical or mental impairments, running the gambit from intellectual disability, seizures, paralysis and cranial nerve dysfunction.

From Salon

These include cancers of the lymph nodes, bones, blood vessels or mast cell tumors for some breeds; and joint disorders such as hip or elbow dysplasia, or cranial cruciate ligament tears.

From Science Daily