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Definition of Phrenology - 5 dictionary results
Phrenology - caricatures
original 19th century lithographs by French artist Honoré Daumier
www.DaumierGallery.com/phrenology

phre⋅nol⋅o⋅gy

  [fri-nol-uh-jee, fre-]
Use Phrenology in a Sentence
–noun
a psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief that certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configurations of the skull.
Origin:
1795–1805, Americanism; phreno- + -logy

Related forms:
phren⋅o⋅log⋅ic  [fren-l-oj-ik] , phren⋅o⋅log⋅i⋅cal, adjective
phren⋅o⋅log⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
phre⋅nol⋅o⋅gist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Phrenology - caricatures
original 19th century lithographs by French artist Honoré Daumier
www.DaumierGallery.com/phrenology
phre·nol·o·gy   (frĭ-nŏl'ə-jē)   
n.  The study of the shape and protuberances of the skull, based on the now discredited belief that they reveal character and mental capacity.
phren'o·log'ic (frěn'ə-lŏj'ĭk, frē'nə-), phren'o·log'i·cal (-ĭ-kəl) adj., phre·nol'o·gist n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

phrenology 
1815, from Gk., lit. "mental science," from phren (gen. phrenos) "mind" + -logy "study of." Applied to the theory of mental faculties originated by Gall and Spurzheim that led to the 1840s mania for reading personality clues in the shape of one's skull and the "bumps" of the head.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: phre·nol·o·gy
Pronunciation: fri-'näl-&-jE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -gies
: thestudy of the conformation of the skull based on the belief that it is indicative of mental faculties and character
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

phrenology phre·nol·o·gy (frĭ-nŏl'ə-jē)
n.
The study of the shape and protuberances of the skull, based on the now discredited belief that they reveal character and mental capacity.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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