skull

¹skull

noun \ˈskəl\

Definition of SKULL

1

: the skeleton of the head of a vertebrate forming a bony or cartilaginous case that encloses and protects the brain and chief sense organs and supports the jaws

2

: the seat of understanding or intelligence : mind

— skulled \ˈskəld\ adjective

Examples of SKULL

1. He had a fractured skull.
2. <paleoanthropologists recently found the skull of a prehistoric man in a remote area of the desert>

Origin of SKULL

Middle English skulle, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect skulle skull

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to SKULL

Synonyms

cranium

Related Words

braincase; death's-head; head, noddle, noggin, pate, poll; crown, scalp

Rhymes with SKULL

cull, dull, gull, hull, lull, mull, null, scull, trull

²skull

transitive verb

Definition of SKULL

1

: to hit on the head

2

: to unintentionally hit (a golf ball or shot) with the bottom edge of the clubface

First Known Use of SKULL

1945

skull

noun \ˈskəl\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of SKULL

: the skeleton of the head forming a bony case that encloses and protects the brain and chief sense organs and supports the jaws

Illustration of SKULL

skull

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Front and side views of the human skull.—© Merriam-Webster Inc.

Skeletal framework of the head. With the exception of the lower jaw, its bones meet in immovable joints (sutures) to form a unit that encloses and protects the brain and sense organs and gives shape to the face. The cranium, the upper part enclosing the brain, comprising the frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, sphenoid, and ethmoid bones, is globular and relatively large compared to the facial portion. Its base has an opening through which the spinal cord connects to the brain. The skull sits on the top vertebra (atlas), which permits back-and-forth motion. For side-to-side motion, the atlas turns on the next vertebra (axis). See also craniosynostosis, fontanel.