# skull

Pronunciation: say "SKUL" /ˈskʌl/

## Noun

1. The bony structure of the head, taken as a whole, including the cranium, the facial bones, and the lower jaw.
   - Simple: The bony frame of the head that protects the brain and shapes the face.
   - _The forensic team examined the skull to estimate the victim's age._
   - _A newborn's skull has soft spots that gradually close as it grows._
2. The mind or brain, viewed informally as the place where a person's thinking and sense reside.
   - Simple: A person's mind or brain, used in a joking, everyday way.
   - _Try to get it into your skull that we leave at dawn._
   - _Some common sense finally made it through her skull._
3. An image of the bones of the head used as a symbol of death; a death's-head.
   - Simple: A picture or shape of the head's bones used to stand for death.
   - _The gravestone was carved with a winged skull, a common emblem of mortality._
   - _He wore a silver ring shaped like a grinning skull._
7. The crown of the headpiece in a suit of armor: the dome-shaped section covering the top of the head.
   - Simple: The rounded top part of a helmet that covers the crown of the head.
   - _The armorer reinforced the skull of the helmet with an extra band of steel._
   - _Rust had eaten through the skull of the old helmet on display._
8. A crust of solidified metal that forms on a ladle or similar vessel as molten metal partly cools.
   - Simple: A hard crust that forms on a ladle when melted metal cools a little.
   - _The foundry crew chipped away the skull clinging to the ladle's lining._
   - _Each pour left a fresh skull of cooled iron on the vessel's walls._
9. A shallow basket fitted with a bow-shaped handle arching across its open top. *(dialectal, Scotland)*
   - Simple: A shallow basket with a curved handle arching over the top.
   - _Fishermen sorted the catch into a shallow skull on the dock._
   - _He filled the skull with shellfish and hauled it up the beach._

## Verb

4. To finish everything left in a glass by tipping it back and drinking it in a single draft.
   - Simple: To drink all that is left in a glass in one go by tipping it up.
   - _They dared him to skull the entire pint without stopping._
   - _She skulled the last of her water before the race began._
5. To strike someone in the head with a fist, a weapon, or a thrown object.
   - Simple: To hit someone on the head with your fist, a weapon, or something thrown.
   - _A rioter skulled the officer with a flung brick._
   - _She threatened to skull him if he came any closer._
6. To strike the ball above its center, usually by accident, so it travels low and hard rather than lifting into the air.
   - Simple: To hit the top of the ball by mistake, so it flies low and fast along the ground.
   - _She skulled her approach and watched it race past the flag._
   - _Beginners often skull the ball when they lift their heads too early._

## Noun

10. The head or master of a college: the person who leads and governs it. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: The person who runs and leads a college.
   - _The skull summoned the fellows to discuss the college endowment._
   - _Every freshman dreaded a summons to the skull's study._
11. Obsolete form of school. *(obsolete)* — Obsolete form of school (“a multitude”).
   - Simple: Obsolete form of school. An old spelling meaning a large group, as in a school of fish.

## Origin

From Middle English sculle (also scolle), probably from a dialectal form of Old Norse skalli ('bald head, skull'), which itself is likely related to Old English sċealu ('husk'). Another possibility is that it comes from Old Norse skoltr, skolptr ('muzzle, snout').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/skull (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).