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Skull

//ˈskʌl// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The main bones of the head considered as a unit; including the cranium, facial bones, and mandible.

    "All the time six or eight large Chinese gongs were being beaten by the vigorous arms of as many young men, producing such a deafening discord that I was glad to escape to the round house, where I slept very comfortably with half a dozen smoke-dried human skulls suspended over my head."

  2. 2
    Obsolete form of school (“a multitude”). alt-of, obsolete

    "A knavish skull of boys and girls did pelt at him."

  3. 3
    the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates wordnet
  4. 4
    These bones as a symbol for death; death's-head.

    "Thine are these orbs of light and shade; ⁠Thou madest Life in man and brute; ⁠Thou madest Death; and lo, thy foot Is on the skull which thou hast made."

  5. 5
    The mind or brain. figuratively

    "My thoughts are flying around in my skull like fireflies in a jar, but all of a sudden I'm unbearably tired and can't stay awake."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    A crust formed on the ladle, etc. by the partial cooling of molten metal.
  2. 7
    The crown of the headpiece in armour.
  3. 8
    A shallow bow-handled basket. Scotland
  4. 9
    The head or master of a college. UK, obsolete, slang

    "Graduates […] will never forget that majestic stature, that massive brow, that commanding look, as its possessor paced the ante-chapel of his college, or took his seat of presidence among the skulls of Golgotha."

Verb
  1. 1
    To hit in the head with a fist, a weapon, or a thrown object.
  2. 2
    To strike the top of (the ball). transitive

    "Monte swung so hard at the next ball that he skulled it straight right, into the pond: 8 in, 9 out."

  3. 3
    To drink everything that remains in a glass by upending it.

    "She nearly skulled the next drink and, despite feeling a little woozy, she felt a lot better."

Etymology

Etymology 1

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”).

Etymology 2

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”).

Etymology 3

See school (“a multitude”).

See also for "skull"

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