skull
/skʌl
/noun
1A bone framework enclosing the brain of a vertebrate; the skeleton of a person’s or animal’s head: he broke his collar bone and fractured his skull...
- Both chickens and humans are vertebrates, a group of animals that have skulls and backbones.
- There does not need to be a visible injury, such as a fracture to the skull, for brain damage to occur.
- All the blood cells are formed in the marrow of the flat bones such as the skull, breastbone and pelvis.
1.1 informal A person’s head or brain: a skull crammed with too many thoughts...
- But here's the rub: each contestant is given just eight hours to cram their skull with their opponents' specialised subject.
- History, being his subject, he crammed into their skulls time and time again, getting frustrated that they never remembered it.
- He also told a male that the lump on his head was his skull.
verb [with object] informal
Hit (someone) on the head: my waking came in drugged stages—I had been skulled...
- On April Fool's Day 1997, dozens of people went out on skulling missions, hitting hundreds of billboards on busy Toronto streets.
- If Joan were really around, she'd skull Le Pen with a spiked mace.
- He looked over at Andy, who was trying to skull the whole lot in one go!
Phrases
out of one's skull
skull and crossbones
Derivatives
skulled
[in combination]: long-skulled
Origin
Middle English scolle; of unknown origin; compare with Old Norse skoltr.