Craniology

Craniology
The study of variations in size, shape, and proportion of the skull (cranium). Also known as phrenology, it was a pseudoscience of the 18th and 19th centuries based on the belief that a person's character could be learned by looking with care at the shape of their head and noting each and every bump and depression in their skull. The individual mental faculties were believed to be contained in neat compartments in the cerebral cortex and the size of these faculties were supposed to be reflected by the configuration of the skull. The best known model of phrenology was that of Gall who marked off the places of twenty-six organs on the head.
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The science concerned with variations in size, shape, and proportion of the cranium, especially with the variations characterizing the different races of humans. [cranio- + G. logos, study]

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cra·ni·ol·o·gy .krā-nē-'äl-ə-jē n, pl -gies a science dealing with variations in size, shape, and proportions of skulls among the human races

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cra·ni·ol·o·gy (kra″ne-olґə-je) [cranio- + -logy] the scientific study of skulls.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • Craniology — Cra ni*ol o*gy ( j?), n. [Cranium + logy.] The department of science (as of ethnology or arch[ae]ology) which deals with the shape, size, proportions, indications, etc., of skulls; the study of skulls. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • craniology — [krā΄nē äl′ə jē] n. the scientific study of skulls, esp. human skulls, and their characteristics, including differences in size, shape, etc …   English World dictionary

  • craniology — noun Etymology: probably from German Kraniologie, from kranio crani + logie logy Date: 1851 a science dealing with variations in size, shape, and proportions of skulls among human races …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • craniology — craniological /kray nee euh loj i keuhl/, adj. craniologically, adv. craniologist, n. /kray nee ol euh jee/, n. the science that deals with the size, shape, and other characteristics of human skulls. [1800 10; CRANIO + LOGY] * * * …   Universalium

  • craniology — noun The study of the physical characteristics of the human skull …   Wiktionary

  • craniology — Synonyms and related words: anatomy, anthropography, anthropologist, anthropology, anthropometry, behavioral science, craniometry, demography, ethnography, ethnologist, ethnology, human ecology, human geography, metoposcopy, phrenologist,… …   Moby Thesaurus

  • craniology — study of the skull Sciences and Studies …   Phrontistery dictionary

  • craniology — cra·ni·ol·o·gy || ‚kreɪnɪ É’lÉ™dʒɪ n. study of the characteristics of the skull (size, shape, etc.) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • craniology — [ˌkreɪnɪ ɒlədʒi] noun historical the scientific study of the shape and size of the human skull. Derivatives craniological adjective craniologist noun …   English new terms dictionary

  • craniology — n. Craniognomy, phrenology …   New dictionary of synonyms

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