cranium

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cranium

/ˈkɹeɪ.ni.əm/

Rhymes with -eɪniəm

Where it comes from

From Medieval Latin crānium (“skull”), from Ancient Greek κρᾱνίον (krāníon, “skull”). By surface analysis, crani- + -um.

noun craniums · crania

That part of the skull consisting of the bones enclosing the brain, but not including the bones of the face or jaw. The Skull is divided into two parts, the Cranium and the Face. The Cranium is composed of eight bones; […]
Similar: braincase, neurocranium
informal The upper portion of the skull, including the neurocranium and facial bones, but not including the jawbone (mandible). In this study, the cranium recovered from the River Witham in Lincoln exhibited a black metallic staining on the surfaces of the teeth.
informal Synonym of skull. This wrinkle in time, can't give it no credit, I thought about my space, and I really got me down, I got me so down, I got me a headache, My heart's crammed in my cranium, and it still knows how to pound.
Similar: skull

Translations

Every language

noun (anatomy) braincase or neurocranium

Español	cráneo
中文	顱骨 /颅骨 lúgǔ
Português	crânio
Français	boîte crânienne
Deutsch	Hirnschädel, Hirnschale
Italiano	cranio
Русский	черепна́я коро́бка čerepnája koróbka
Tiếng Việt	hộp sọ
العربية	قِحْف qiḥf

noun upper part of skull without the mandible

Español	cráneo
Italiano	cranio

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MLA

"cranium." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cranium. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

cranium. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cranium

Chicago

"cranium." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cranium.

BibTeX

@misc{cranium_2026,
  title = {cranium},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cranium},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}