postcranial
adjective
post·cra·ni·al
ˌpōst-ˈkrā-nē-əl 
: of or relating to the part of the body caudal to the head
postcranial skeleton
postcranially
adverb
Examples of postcranial in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, multiple studies over the past 50 years have highlighted the distinctions between different types of giraffe based on their pelage patterns, cranial and postcranial morphology, genetics, ecology, and behavior.
—
Grrlscientist, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
The hope is that more complete postcranial bones dating back even further in time, closer to the hypothetical emergence of H. erectus on the island, will turn up to paint a more detailed picture of how the hobbit came to be.
—Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2024
None of the early species contained these traces, indicating that postcranial skeletal pneumaticity hadn’t yet evolved.
—Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 26 July 2023
Numerous other cranial and postcranial features in the Krapina Neandertals overlap with early modern humans, too.
—David W. Frayer, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2022
First named in 1995, this species was known only from teeth, jaws and some postcranial bones from the sites of Allia Bay and Kanapoi in northern Kenya that dated to between about 4.2 and 3.9 million years ago.
—Briana Pobiner, Smithsonian, 13 Dec. 2019
A novel form of postcranial skeletal pneumaticity in a sauropod dinosaur: implications for the paleobiology of Rebbachisauridae.
—Brian Switek, Scientific American Blog Network, 15 May 2017
Meachen and Samuels looked to the postcranial skeletons of coyotes and grey wolves from the late Pleistocene to the modern era to track how the canids changed.
—Brian Switek, WIRED, 27 Sep. 2012
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Grrlscientist, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
The hope is that more complete postcranial bones dating back even further in time, closer to the hypothetical emergence of H. erectus on the island, will turn up to paint a more detailed picture of how the hobbit came to be.
—Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 7 Aug. 2024
None of the early species contained these traces, indicating that postcranial skeletal pneumaticity hadn’t yet evolved.
—Jeanne Timmons, Ars Technica, 26 July 2023
Numerous other cranial and postcranial features in the Krapina Neandertals overlap with early modern humans, too.
—David W. Frayer, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2022
First named in 1995, this species was known only from teeth, jaws and some postcranial bones from the sites of Allia Bay and Kanapoi in northern Kenya that dated to between about 4.2 and 3.9 million years ago.
—Briana Pobiner, Smithsonian, 13 Dec. 2019
A novel form of postcranial skeletal pneumaticity in a sauropod dinosaur: implications for the paleobiology of Rebbachisauridae.
—Brian Switek, Scientific American Blog Network, 15 May 2017
Meachen and Samuels looked to the postcranial skeletons of coyotes and grey wolves from the late Pleistocene to the modern era to track how the canids changed.
—Brian Switek, WIRED, 27 Sep. 2012
Cite this Entry
“Postcranial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postcranial. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
postcranial
adjective
post·cra·ni·al
-ˈkrā-nē-əl
: of or relating to the part of the body caudal to the head
a postcranial skeleton
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share