skull
pronunciation
How to pronounce skull in British English:
UK [skʌl]
How to pronounce skull in American English:
US [skʌl]
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- Noun:
- the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates
Word Origin
- skull
- skull: [13] The Old English word for ‘skull’ was hēafodpanne, literally ‘head-pan’. It has never been firmly established where its Middle English replacement skull came from, but is seems more than likely that it was borrowed from a Scandinavian language (Swedish and Norwegian have skalle ‘skull’).
- skull (n.)
- "bony framework of the head," c. 1200, probably from Old Norse skalli "a bald head, skull," a general Scandinavian word (compare Swedish skulle, Norwegian skult), probably related to Old English scealu "husk" (see shell (n.)). But early prominence in southwestern texts suggests rather origin from a Dutch or Low German cognate (such as Dutch schol "turf, piece of ice," but the sense of "head bone framework" is wanting). Derivation from Old French escuelle seems unlikely on grounds of sound and sense. Old English words for skull include heafod-bolla.
Example
- 1. This time , I moulded the clay on to the skull .
- 2. The photo at right of a cave bear skull from poland was provided bymark target .
- 3. Moniz and freeman just drilled into skull and guesstimated where they should core or cut .
- 4. George donner 's body is found , skull split open , his brain removed .
- 5. It is encased in the hard , protective skull .