phrenology

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

noun

1. 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.

phrenology

/ ˌfrɛnəˈlɒdʒɪkəl, frɪˈnɒlədʒɪ /

noun

1. (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

Other Word Forms

• phrenological adjective
• phrenologist noun
• phrenologic adjective
• phrenologically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of phrenology¹

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

Example Sentences

This was partly driven by huge interest in the now-discredited science of phrenology.

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In the 19th Century, phrenology, which investigated the idea that human characteristics could be determined by the shape of the skull, was very popular in the UK and other parts of Europe.

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Video and image analysis technology had "no scientific basis", co-author Eleanor Drage told the BBC News, dismissing it as "modern phrenology", the false theory skull shape could reveal character and mental faculties.

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Still, Poe wasn't immune to quackery himself, finding trendy pseudosciences like phrenology and animal magnetism perfectly sensible.

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To make matters worse, FINA’s reasoning for the prohibition sounds like something straight out of an 1890s phrenology manual: The caps do not “fit the natural form of the head.”

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