Dictionary

cranium en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈkɹeɪ.ni.əm/
• (Southern-England) audio
• krā'nē-əm
• (US) audio

Etymology

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

Meanings

1. That part of the skull consisting of the bones enclosing the brain, but not including the bones of the face or jaw.
   • ‘I always ask leave, in the interests of science, to measure the crania of those going out there,’ he said. 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 201:
   • The cranial bones, or cranium (kra′ne-um), enclose and protect the fragile brain and furnish attachment sites for head and neck muscles. 2010, Elaine N. Marieb, Katja Hoehn, “Chapter 7 "The Skeleton"”, in Human Anatomy and Physiology, 8th edition, page 200:
   • The Skull is divided into two parts, the Cranium and the Face. The Cranium is composed of eight bones; […] 1858, Henry Gray, “The Skull”, in Anatomy: Descriptive and Surgical, page 19:
   • The cranium of the fowl is composed of the same elements as are present in the mammalian cranium, save that there is no interparietal. 1908, J. McFadyean, “Part I: Osteology and Arthrology”, in The Comparative Anatomy of the Domesticated Animals, page 165:
   • "The cranium is clearly plesiomorphic in overall form, presenting primitive traits shared by earlier hominins," the authors wrote. 2025 September 27, Julia Jacobo, “Million-year-old skull could rewrite timeline of human origin, researchers say”, in ABC News, archived from the original on 14 Feb 2026:
2. (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. 2014, Emma L. Brown, Ronald A. Dixon, Jason W. Birkett, “The Discolouration of Human Teeth from Archaeological Contexts: Elemental Analysis of a Black Tooth from a Roman Cranium Recovered from the River Witham, Lincoln, UK”, in Journal of Anthropology, volume 2014, →DOI:
3. (informal) Synonym of skull.

Forms

Deriveds

basicranium · desmocranium · craniate · ectocranium · splanchnocranium · cranial · postcranium · neurocranium · osteocranium · intracranium · hemicrania · cranio- · dermatocranium · paracranium · viscerocranium · chondrocranium · epicranium · endocranium

Synonyms

neurocranium · braincase · skull

Translations (30)

cmn 顱骨 /颅骨 ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · gl cranio ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · vi hộp sọ ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · fr boîte crânienne ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · it cranio (upper part of skull without the mandible) · cy creuan (upper part of skull without the mandible) · br boest ar penn ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · bg черепна кутия ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · gl cranio (upper part of skull without the mandible) · de Hirnschale ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · mi pakohu roro ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · es cráneo (upper part of skull without the mandible) · sa कपाल ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · ru черепна́я коро́бка ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · eo cerbujo ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · cs mozkovna ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · ar قِحْف ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · fi pääkoppa ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · it cranio ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · gd claigeann ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · nl hersenpan ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · de Hirnschädel ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · pt crânio ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · es cráneo ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · eo kranio ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · ms kranium ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · cy padell yr ymennydd ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · pl mózgoczaszka ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium) · pl mózgoczaszka (upper part of skull without the mandible) · fi aivokoppa ((anatomy) braincase or neurocranium)