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

"Hey, big head!" Mahorn shouted. Aguirre does, in fact, have an extraordinary cranium.

—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

Synonyms of cranium

• skull

Examples of cranium in a Sentence

the cranium of a Neanderthal is striking for its brow ridges

Recent Examples on the Web

These three inevitabilities rattled and ricocheted around my cranium every Tuesday morning for the better part of two years. —David Oliver, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026

But with only a partial cranium, there wasn’t much to go on. —Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2026

The other two craniums were found in 1990. —Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 26 Dec. 2025

The reconstructed cranium appeared large and long, with a broad and flat braincase, according to the paper. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin, from Greek kranion; akin to Greek kara head — more at cerebral

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cranium

• geranium
• germanium
• titanium
• uranium
• transuranium

Kids 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 

: skull

specifically : braincase