cranium

American  

[krey-nee-uhm] / ˈkreɪ ni əm /

noun

plural

craniums, crania

1. the skull of a vertebrate.

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

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cranium British  

/ ˈkreɪnɪəm /

noun

1. the skull of a vertebrate

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

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cranium Scientific  

/ krā′nē-əm /

plural

craniums

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

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cranium Cultural  

1. The part of the skull that encloses the brain.

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Etymology

Origin of cranium

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

Example Sentences

The final stage involved "attaching" the reconstructed face to the braincase to create a mostly complete cranium.

From Science Daily

Humans evolved wisdom teeth to better grind down hard foods like raw plants, tough meats and nuts, but as our diets became softer and our brains bigger, our species developed larger craniums and smaller jaws.

From Salon

The creature’s cranium was like a dark cave with no exit!

From Literature

The head had been crushed, possibly by rockfall, relatively soon after death -- after the brain decomposed but before the cranium filled with dirt -- and then compacted further by tens of thousands of years of sediment.

From Science Daily

In vertebrates, where the comparatively large brain is enclosed in a compact cranium, another space-saving mechanism plays a major role: myelination.

From Science Daily