cranium

UK: /ˈkreɪniəm/ US: /ˈkreɪniəm/ ,(krā′nē əm)

Inflections of 'cranium' (n):

craniums

npl

crania

npl

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

cra•ni•um /ˈkreɪniəm/   n. [countable] , pl. -ni•ums, -ni•a 

/-niə/.  
1. Anatomy, Zoology the skull of any animal with a backbone.
2. Anatomy, Zoology the part of the skull that encloses the brain.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

cra•ni•um  (krā′nē əm), n., pl. -ni•ums, -ni•a 

(-nē ə). 
1. Anatomy, Zoology the skull of a vertebrate.
2. Anatomy, Zoology the part of the skull that encloses the brain. Also called braincase. 

• Greek krāníon skull; akin to cerato-, cerebrum, cornu, horn
• Medieval Latin crānium
• late Middle English craneum 1375–1425

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cranium / ˈkreɪnɪəm/ noun ( -niums, -nia / -nɪə/)

1. the skull of a vertebrate
2. the part of the skull that encloses the brain
   Nontechnical name: brainpan

Etymology: 16th Century: from Medieval Latin crānium skull, from Greek kranion