cranium

Where does the word "cranium" come from? It comes from Greek kranion, passing through Latin before entering English (1500s).

Cranium’s story begins in Greek: kranion meant “the skull.” The skull, from kara (head). By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as cranium. Galen's Greek anatomical works shaped the Latin terms. It reached English by 1500s as cranium. Settled as the English medical word for the skull. Today, cranium means the bony structure of the head enclosing the brain.

1. Stage 1 · Greek · ancient kranion "the skull", the skull, from kara (head).
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient cranium "the skull", Galen's Greek anatomical works shaped the Latin terms.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s cranium "the bony structure of the head", settled as the English medical word for the skull.