Okuzeka
Anatomy & Physiology vocabulary · Bones and the Skeleton

Skull

Meaning in anatomy & physiology, with examples

/skʌl/nounCore term

In anatomy & physiology, skull means: The bony structure of the head that protects the brain and forms the face. It is made of many bones joined by immovable joints called sutures, plus the movable lower jaw (mandible).

In Turkish: kafatası

How it is used

Skull is both the everyday and the textbook word; cranium is more technical and sometimes means only the part around the brain. Clinicians talk about a skull fracture or a skull X-ray. The adjective cranial comes from cranium: cranial nerves, cranial cavity.

Example sentences

  1. A baby's skull has soft spots called fontanelles, where the bones have not yet fused.

  2. A CT scan ruled out a skull fracture after the fall.

Common collocations

  • skull fracture
  • base of the skull
  • skull X-ray
  • cranial cavity
  • skeletonThe framework of bones and cartilage that supports the body, protects the organs and allows movement. An adult skeleton usually has 206 bones.
  • brainThe organ inside the skull that controls thought, memory, movement, the senses and many automatic body functions. Its main parts are the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the brainstem.
  • boneThe hard, living tissue that forms the skeleton, and each organ made of it. Bones support the body, protect organs, store calcium and contain the marrow that makes blood cells.
  • vertebraOne of the roughly 33 small bones stacked to form the spine (vertebral column). Each has a body, an arch and an opening through which the spinal cord passes.

More terms: Bones and the Skeleton

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.