skull

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skull

the skeleton of the head

Not to be confused with:

scull – either of a pair of small oars used by a single rower; a small boat propelled by a scull or a pair of sculls

skull

(skŭl)

1. The bony or cartilaginous framework that encloses and protects the brain and sense organs of all vertebrates and of one group of nonvertebrates (the hagfishes); cranium.

2. Informal The head, regarded as the seat of thought or intelligence: Use your skull and solve the problem.

3. A death's-head.

[Middle English sculle, probably of Scandinavian origin.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

skull

(skʌl)

1. (Anatomy) the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates. See cranium

2. often derogatory the head regarded as the mind or intelligence: to have a dense skull.

3. (Heraldry) a picture of a skull used to represent death or danger

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

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

skull

(skʌl)

n.

1. the bony or cartilaginous framework of the vertebrate head, enclosing the brain and sense organs and including the jaws.

2. the head as the center of comprehension; mind.

[1175–1225; Middle English scolle < Old Norse skalli]

skull′-less, adj.

skull′-like`, adj.

skull

(skŭl)

The part of the skeleton that forms the framework of the head, consisting of the bones that protect the brain and the bones of the face. See more at skeleton.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Skull

a school or shoal of fish.

skull

Twenty-two bones forming the frame of the head. All interlock rigidly except the hinged lower jawbone (mandible).

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

skull - the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates

craniometric point - a landmark on the skull from which craniometric measurements can be taken

bone, os - rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates

cheekbone, jugal bone, malar, malar bone, os zygomaticum, zygomatic, zygomatic bone - the arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek

os sphenoidale, sphenoid, sphenoid bone - butterfly-shaped bone at the base of the skull

cranial orbit, eye socket, orbital cavity, orbit - the bony cavity in the skull containing the eyeball

endocranium - membrane lining the inside of the skull

head, caput - the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains; "he stuck his head out the window"

braincase, brainpan, cranium - the part of the skull that encloses the brain

jaw - the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth

axial skeleton - the part of the skeleton that includes the skull and spinal column and sternum and ribs

vomer - thin trapezoidal bone of the skull forming the posterior and inferior parts of the nasal septum

skull

noun

Related words
technical name cranium
adjective cranial

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

جُمْجُمَةجُمْجُمَه

lebka

hovedskalkranium

Schädel Totenkopf Totenschädel

κρανίο νεκροκεφαλή

kranio

calavera cráneo

koljukolppealuu

pääkallokallo

crâne

lubanja

koponya

hauskúpahöfuðkúpa

cranio teschio

頭蓋骨頭骨

두개골

kaukolė

galvaskauss

craniu

lebka

lobanja

skalle

กระโหลกศรีษะ

kafatası

sọ

头骨颅骨

skull

[skʌl] N → calavera f (Med) → cráneo m
skull and crossbones (= flag) → la bandera pirata
I can't get it into his (thick) skull that → no hay quien le meta en la cabeza que ...

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

skull

[ˈskʌl] n → crâne mskull and crossbones n → tête m de mortskull cap skullcap [ˈskʌlkæp] n → calotte f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

skull

n → Schädel m; I couldn’t get it into his thick skull (inf) → das wollte einfach nicht in seinen Schädel (inf); skull and crossbones → Totenkopf m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

skull

[skʌl] n (of live person) → cranio; (of dead person) → teschio (fam) (head) → testa, testona
skull and crossbones (danger warning) → teschio (flag) → bandiera dei pirati

skull

(skal) noun

the bony case that encloses the brain. He's fractured his skull.

skull

→ جُمْجُمَة lebka kranium Schädel κρανίο cráneo pääkallo crâne lubanja teschio 頭蓋骨 두개골 schedel hodeskalle czaszka crânio череп skalle กระโหลกศรีษะ kafatası sọ 头骨

skull

n. cráneo; calavera, estructura ósea de la cabeza;

base of the ___ → base del ___;

___ fractures → fracturas del ___.

skull

n cráneo

References in classic literature ?

"Is de lef eye of de skull pon de same side as de lef hand of de skull, too?

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Some of the brethren might get hold of the wrong leg, in the confusion, and the wrong skull, and find themselves limping, and looking through eyes that were wider apart or closer together than they were used to.

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As he stooped to place my food upon the ground I swung the chain above my head and crashed the links with all my strength upon his skull. Without a sound he slipped to the floor, stone dead.

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A dog, with only three legs, lay behind the stove; a crow sat on a roost above our heads, in company with a matronly old hen; and on the clock shelf were a stuffed monkey and a grinning skull. We had heard that a sailor had given Peg the monkey.

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I had hardly expected so dolichocephalic a skull or such well-marked supra-orbital development.

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Molly pursued her victory, and catching up a skull which lay on the side of the grave, discharged it with such fury, that having hit a taylor on the head, the two skulls sent equally forth a hollow sound at their meeting, and the taylor took presently measure of his length on the ground, where the skulls lay side by side, and it was doubtful which was the more valuable of the two.

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This bit of skull, with the tuft of blond hair, was his; this is his hat.

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Closely I examined the ghastly remains fearful each instant that I should find the dainty skull that would shatter my happiness for life; but though I searched diligently, picking up every one of the twenty-odd skulls, I found none that was the skull of a creature but slightly removed from the ape.

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Thereupon Mr Tappertit flourished the bone again, and giving the other skull a prodigious rap on the nose, exclaimed

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On the ensuing summer, these very individuals visiting these parts in company with others, came suddenly upon the bleached bones and grinning skull of a human skeleton, which, by certain signs they recognized for the remains of Scott.

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"I'm glad of that," said Jim; "for I, also, have a conscience, and it tells me not to crush in your skull with a blow of my powerful hoof."

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Most physiologists believe that the bones of the skull are homologous with--that is correspond in number and in relative connexion with--the elemental parts of a certain number of vertebrae.