Skull
/skʌl/noun
The bony framework of the head in humans and other vertebrates.
Did you know?The exact origin is uncertain, but English skull appears in the 13th century and is likely tied to a Germanic word for a shell or scale-like covering, which makes the skull literally a protective casing for the brain.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skalō / *skulō?
“A shell, scale, or covering (reconstructed and uncertain)”
Old Norse
ON
skalli
“Bare scalp; bald head”
Middle Low German
MLG
schulle
“Shell, husk, covering”
Middle English
English
skulle
“The skull or head”
Modern English
English
skull
“The bony framework of the head”