endocast

noun en·do·cast \ ˈen-dō-ˌkast \

Definition of endocast

: endocranial cast

Recent Examples of endocast from the Web

For her dissertation research, Edinger studied an endocast of the Triassic marine reptile Nothosaurus, kicking off her life-long investigation into fossilized brains.

— leila mcneill, Smithsonian, "The Woman Who Shaped the Study of Fossil Brains," 1 Mar. 2018
The fossil mostly consists of an endocast—a sediment cast of the skull cavity where the dinosaur’s brain resided.

— michael greshko, National Geographic, "First Known Dinosaur Brain Fossil Discovered," 27 Oct. 2016
But this endocast’s top surface contains microscopic features that appear to be directly mineralized bits of brain tissue.

— michael greshko, National Geographic, "First Known Dinosaur Brain Fossil Discovered," 27 Oct. 2016
Typically, endocasts give vital but indirect information about the brains of fossilized animals, as these sensitive organs are often the first to decay.

— michael greshko, National Geographic, "First Known Dinosaur Brain Fossil Discovered," 27 Oct. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'endocast.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.