skull

Meaning

Noun

1. The main bones of the head considered as a unit; including the cranium, facial bones, and mandible.
2. These bones as a symbol for death; death's-head.
3. The mind or brain.
4. A crust formed on the ladle, etc. by the partial cooling of molten metal.
5. The crown of the headpiece in armour.
6. A shallow bow-handled basket.

Verb

1. To hit in the head with a fist, a weapon, or a thrown object.
2. To strike the top of (the ball).
3. To drink everything that remains in a glass by upending it.

Synonyms

cranium

head

death’s head

skeleton

dried empty skull

bald head

death’s-head

brain

🧠

frontal bone

incrustation

noggin

pate

scull

upper part

death's head

jawbone

mesenchyme

mind

neck

furnace accretion

noodle

occiput

os

pan

cranial bone

pericranium

poll

salamander

ossa cranii

caput

skull and crossbones

☠️

skull cap

sow

top

🔝

brain pan

top of the head

dross skull

kish

brain-pan

braincase

mazard

skull bone

hearth accretion

wall accretion

bone

🦴

dome

eggshell

encrustation

forehead

flux envelope

crust

flux cover

Pronounced as (IPA)

/skʌl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: sculle

Cognate with Old English: sċealu

Cognate with Scots: scull

Cognate with Danish: skal

Cognate with Norwegian: skalle

Cognate with Swedish: skalle

Cognate with Icelandic: skoltur

Cognate with Swedish: skult

Cognate with Middle Dutch: scolle

Cognate with Middle Low German: scholle

Cognate with Scots: skult

In summary

From Middle English sculle, scolle (also schulle, scholle), probably from a dialectal form of Old Norse skalli (“bald head, skull”), itself probably related to Old English sċealu (“husk”). Compare Scots scull, Danish skal (“skull”) and skalle (“bald head, skull”), Norwegian skalle, Swedish skalle and especially dialectal Swedish skulle.
Alternatively, perhaps from Old Norse skoltr, skolptr (“muzzle, snout”), akin to Icelandic skoltur (“jaw”), dialectal Swedish skult, skulle (“dome, crown of the head, skull”), Middle Dutch scolle, scholle, Middle Low German scholle, schulle (“clod, sod”), and Scots skult, skolt. Compare also Old High German sciula, skiula (“skull”).