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cranium

[krey-nee-uhm]

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noun, plural -ni·ums, -ni·a

[-nee-uh] .

the skull of a vertebrate.

the part of the skull that encloses the brain.

Also called braincase.

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English craneum < Medieval Latin crānium < Greek krāníon skull; akin to cerato-, cerebrum, cornu, horn

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Cranium is always a great word to know.

So is rib. Does it mean:

series of curved bones that are articulated with the vertebrae and occur in pairs

bones of the limbs, including the bones of the pectoral and pelvic girdles

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Example Sentences

The human's is aligned more vertically, directly below the cranium.

The face and cranium of the fossil have features found in both early and modern human species.

To do so, they removed a small portion of the cranium and shined a laser light inside.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

cranium (ˈkreɪnɪəm)

—n , pl -niums, -nia
1.	the skull of a vertebrate
2.	Nontechnical name: brainpan the part of the skull that encloses the brain

[C16: from Medieval Latin crānium skull, from Greek kranion]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

cranium

1540s, from M.L. cranium, from Gk. kranion "skull," related to kara "head." Strictly, the bones which enclose the brain.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

cranium cra·ni·um (krā'nē-əm)
n. pl. cra·ni·ums or cra·ni·a (-nē-ə)