cranium
noun
cra·ni·um
ˈkrā-nē-əm 
plural craniums or crania
ˈkrā-nē-ə
: skull
specifically
: the part of the skull that encloses the brain : braincase
Among the physical characters that distinguish them from other early humans are the long, low sweep of the Neanderthal cranium … —
James Shreeve
James Shreeve "Hey, big head!" Mahorn shouted. Aguirre does, in fact, have an extraordinary cranium. —Jeff Coplon
Jeff Coplon You don't "watch" a film like Fight Club; you mainline a deluge of visual and sonic information (including a hefty chunk of the IKEA catalog) straight into your cranium. —Jeff Gordinier
Jeff Gordinier 
Examples of cranium in a Sentence
the cranium of a Neanderthal is striking for its brow ridges
Recent Examples on the Web
That's where Joseph Keil found a skeleton in a sarcophagus filled with water, but for some reason, Keil only removed the cranium from the tomb before sealing it back up.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 13 Jan. 2025
This indicates that the bones were gathered over multiple generations—perhaps six to eight—before being placed in the heap at the possible rate, on average, of one cranium every decade or so.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 11 Jan. 2025
Once Cohen settled, the team descended like a Nascar pit crew to take his measurements: radius of cranium, distance between eyes, width of nostrils.
—Zach Zimmerman, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
At last report, Paul Finebaum’s cranium was flying past Saturn and heading for Uranus.
—David Whitley, The Tennessean, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for cranium 
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Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 13 Jan. 2025
This indicates that the bones were gathered over multiple generations—perhaps six to eight—before being placed in the heap at the possible rate, on average, of one cranium every decade or so.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 11 Jan. 2025
Once Cohen settled, the team descended like a Nascar pit crew to take his measurements: radius of cranium, distance between eyes, width of nostrils.
—Zach Zimmerman, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
At last report, Paul Finebaum’s cranium was flying past Saturn and heading for Uranus.
—David Whitley, The Tennessean, 30 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for cranium
Dictionary Entries Near cranium
Cite this Entry
“Cranium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cranium. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cranium
noun
cra·ni·um
ˈkrā-nē-əm
plural craniums or crania
-nē-ə
: skull sense 1
especially
: the part that encloses the brain
Medical Definition
cranium
noun
cra·ni·um
ˈkrā-nē-əm
plural craniums or crania
-nē-ə
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