bucranium

[ byoo-krey-nee-uhm ]

noun

, plural bu·cra·ni·a [byoo-, krey, -nee-, uh].

1. (in classical architecture) an ornament, especially on a frieze, having the form of the skull of an ox.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bucranium¹

1850–55; < Late Latin būcrānium < Greek boukrā́ni ( on ) an ox-head, equivalent to Greek bou- (stem of boûs ) ox + krāníon cranium

Example Sentences

But the head of a musician is harder than a bucranium, and the blows which Théophile received did not avail to modify that angel's notion of divine providence.

From Project Gutenberg

A decoration in white paint over the doorways of certain houses in the south is a relic of the religious custom of placing a bucranium there to avert evil.

From Project Gutenberg