craniology

American  

[krey-nee-ol-uh-jee] / ˌkreɪ niˈɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. the science that deals with the size, shape, and other characteristics of human skulls.

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craniology British  

/ ˌkreɪnɪˈɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. the branch of science concerned with the shape and size of the human skull, esp with reference to variations between different races

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Other Word Forms

• craniologist
  noun
• craniological
  adjective
• craniologically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of craniology

First recorded in 1800–10; cranio- + -logy

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

craniology

The label on one of the skulls in the Munich Collection, “Etruscan-Tyrol, or Inca-Peruvian,” characterizes not too unfairly the present state of ethnological craniology.

From Chips From A German Workshop. Vol. III. Essays on Literature, Biography, and Antiquities by F. Max (Friedrich Max) Müller

He must master the cosmology, And know all about psychology, And the wonders of biology, And be deep in ornithology, And develop ideology, With the aid of craniology.

From A Book for All Readers An Aid to the Collection, Use, and Preservation of Books and the Formation of Public and Private Libraries by Ainsworth Rand Spofford

But Houbraken is now known to have been no more honest than his successors in portrait engraving: although physiognomy and craniology ought to help the moderns out in these matters.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 12, No. 344 (Supplementary Issue) by Various

Many years afterward Virchow established the science of craniology in the department of anthropology, and succeeded in throwing not a little light on the origins of races by his discoveries in this matter.

From Makers of Modern Medicine by James J. (James Joseph) Walsh

Anthropologists no longer rely solely on craniology, and the measurement of the skull, to distinguish race.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various