phrenology

[fri-nol-uh-jee, fre-]

noun

a psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief that certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configurations of the skull.

Nearby words

Origin of phrenology

An Americanism dating back to 1795–1805; phreno- + -logy

Related formsphren·o·log·ic

[fren-l-oj-ik] /ˌfrɛn lˈɒdʒ ɪk/, phren·o·log·i·cal, adjectivephren·o·log·i·cal·ly, adverbphre·nol·o·gist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for phrenologist

Dr. Allen, a Phrenologist, gave us a short lecture this morning and examined a few heads, mine among them.
The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 1 of 2)|Ida Husted Harper
But one day Mrs. Guinness had brought him in, being a phrenologist, to "feel Kitty's head."
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science|Various
Was it a phrenologist strung y'u with the notion y'u was a cure for lonesomeness?
Wyoming, a Story of the Outdoor West|William MacLeod Raine
My mother said it was inside and that the phrenologist meant I must be a good boy.
Confessions of Boyhood|John Albee

George Combe, philosopher and phrenologist, studied especially social institutions.
Great Britain and the American Civil War|Ephraim Douglass Adams

British Dictionary definitions for phrenologist

phrenology

noun

(formerly) the branch of science concerned with localization of function in the human brain, esp determination of the strength of the faculties by the shape and size of the skull overlying the parts of the brain thought to be responsible for them

Derived Formsphrenological (ˌfrɛnəˈlɒdʒɪkəl), adjectivephrenologist, noun

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

Word Origin and History for phrenologist

phrenology

1815, literally "mental science," from phreno- + -logy "study of." Applied to the theory of mental faculties originated by Gall and Spurzheim that led to the 1840s mania for reading personality clues in the shape of one's skull and the "bumps" of the head. Related: Phrenological; phrenologist.

Medicine definitions for phrenologist

phrenology

[frĭ-nŏl′ə-jē]

n.

The study of the shape and protuberances of the skull, based on the now discredited belief that they reveal character and mental capacity.