craniometry

[ krey-nee-om-i-tree ]

noun

1. the science of measuring skulls, chiefly to determine their characteristic relationship to sex, body type, or genetic population.

craniometry

/ ˌkreɪnɪˈɒmɪtrɪ; ˌkreɪnɪəˈmɛtrɪk /

noun

1. the study and measurement of skulls

Derived Forms

• craniometric, adjective
• ˌcraniˈometrist, noun
• ˌcranioˈmetrically, adverb

Other Words From

• cra·ni·o·met·ric [krey-nee-, uh, -, me, -trik], crani·o·metri·cal adjective
• crani·o·metri·cal·ly adverb
• crani·ome·trist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of craniometry¹

First recorded in 1860–65; cranio- + -metry

Example Sentences

At the time, there was interest in the study of craniometry, the measurement of the cranium, and anthropometry, the scientific measurement of individuals.

From BBC

It underlaid the pseudosciences of phrenology and craniometry, deployed to rationalize racism.

From Nature

Wall locates the tests’ origins in eighteenth-century craniometry and phrenology, which established that “the best heads” belonged to “white middle-class men from northern Europe.”

From The New Yorker

Fā′cially.—Facial angle, in craniometry, the angle formed by lines drawn to show to what extent the jaws are protruding and the forehead receding.

From Project Gutenberg

Another work in which Virchow followed in M�ller's footsteps was the development of craniometry and, in general, the scientific investigations of skulls.

From Project Gutenberg