skull

- 6 dictionary results

–noun

the bony framework of the head, enclosing the brain and supporting the face; the skeleton of the head.

the head as the center of knowledge and understanding; mind: to get literature's great ideas through our skulls.

Armor. the part of a helmet that covers the top of the head.

—Idiom

out of one's skull, Slang. crazy; demented.

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Origin:
1175–1225; ME scolle < ON skalli

—Related forms

skull-less, adjective

skull-like, adjective

—Can be confused: scull, skull.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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Link To skull

World English Dictionary

skull (skʌl)

—n
1.	See cranium the bony skeleton of the head of vertebratesRelated: cranial
2.	derogatory often the head regarded as the mind or intelligence: to have a dense skull
3.	a picture of a skull used to represent death or danger

Related: cranial

[C13: of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse skoltr, Norwegian skult, Swedish dialect skulle]

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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Word Origin & History

skull

early 13c., probably from O.N. skalli "bald head, skull," a general Scandinavian word (cf. Swedish skulle, Norw. skult), probably related to O.E. scealu "husk" (see shell). But early prominence in southwestern texts suggests rather origin from a Dutch or Low Ger. cognate (e.g. Du. schol "turf, piece of ice," but the sense of "head bone framework" is wanting). Derivation from O.Fr. escuelle seems unlikely on grounds of sound and sense. O.E. words for skull include heafod-bolla.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

skull definition

Pronunciation: /ˈskəl/
Function: n
: the skeleton of the head forming a bony case that encloses and protects the brain and chief sense organs and supports the jaws

skull of adult human: A anterior view, B lateral view, C posterior view, D superior view, E inferior view; 1 superciliary ridge, 2 lacrimal bone, 3 zygomatic bone, 4 infraorbital foramen, 5 maxilla, 6 nasal cavity, 7 mandible, 8 mental foramen, 9 inferior concha, 10 middle concha, 11 orbit, 12 nasal bone, 13 frontal bone, 14 coronal suture, 15 sphenoid bone, 16 alveolar process, 17 teeth, 18 styloid process, 19 external auditory meatus, 20 mastoid process, 21 temporal bone, 22 occipital bone, 23 lambdoid suture, 24 parietal bone, 25 squamous suture, 26 sagittal suture, 27 external occiptal crest, 28 external occipital protuberance, 29 occipital condyle, 30 foramen ovale, 31 zygomatic arch, 32 palatine process, 33 vomer, 34 incisive fossa, 35 palatine bone, 36 foramen lacerum, 37 carotid canal, 38 jugular fossa, 39 foramen magnum, 40 condyloid process, 41 coronoid process

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2007 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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skull (skŭl)
n.
The bony or cartilaginous framework of the head, made up of the bones of the braincase and face; cranium.

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

skull (skŭl) Pronunciation Key
The part of the skeleton that forms the framework of the head, consisting of the bones of the cranium, which protect the brain, and the bones of the face. See more at skeleton.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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