phrenology

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

/ frɪˈnɒl ə dʒi, frɛ- /

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 phrenology

It was a most interesting and satisfactory experiment, as an illustration of phrenology.
Pencillings by the Way|N. Parker Willis
It has been said that Doctor Caldwell was the first person of note to take up the study of Phrenology in this country.
The History of the Medical Department of Transylvania University|Robert Peter
That Phrenology does this, and more, it is the purpose of this lecture to show.
How to Become Rich|William Windsor
But the pseudo-sciences, phrenology and the rest, seem to me only appeals to weak minds and the weak points of strong ones.
Medical Essays|Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

There was also a blind-fold professor of phrenology, who examined heads at fifteen cents per cranium.
When Life Was Young|C. A. Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for phrenology

phrenology

/ (frɪˈnɒlədʒɪ) /

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 phrenology

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 phrenology

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.