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
In 1985 researchers working in northern Kenya discovered a 2.5-million-year-old cranium of the robust australopith Paranthropus aethiopicus.
—Donald C. Johanson, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
Woody Harrelson plays the McCain strategist/bouncer Steve Schmidt, all shoulders and gleaming cranium; Ed Harris plays a rambunctious, foulmouthed, wide-eyed McCain; and Julianne Moore, from a place of truly Strasbergian inwardness, plays Palin.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2024
Between all the seductive milk sipping and unsteady cranium bleaching, Lola and Eric really take their time with Brent.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Sep. 2024
Advertisement Trump’s cranium seemed ready to explode.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cranium 
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Donald C. Johanson, Scientific American, 15 Oct. 2024
Woody Harrelson plays the McCain strategist/bouncer Steve Schmidt, all shoulders and gleaming cranium; Ed Harris plays a rambunctious, foulmouthed, wide-eyed McCain; and Julianne Moore, from a place of truly Strasbergian inwardness, plays Palin.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2024
Between all the seductive milk sipping and unsteady cranium bleaching, Lola and Eric really take their time with Brent.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 Sep. 2024
Advertisement Trump’s cranium seemed ready to explode.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 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 1 Dec. 2024.
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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