Cephalic
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A remedy that benefits the head or brain. obsolete
"[…] recover their Sight […] by the use of Bleeding, Purging, Blistering and Cephalics."
- 1 Of or relating to the head.
"The objective of this study was to identify the factors predictive of the success of external cephalic version (ECV). […] The study shows that transverse foetal presentation, a senior physician operator, multiparity, as well as a non-anterior placental location are factors predictive of the success of ECV."
- 2 Of or relating to the head.; Of or relating to the brain.
"I was at the Mathematical School, where the Maſter taught his Pupils after a Method ſcarce imaginable to us in Europe. The Propoſition and Demonſtration were fairly written on a thin Wafer, with Ink compoſed of a Cephalick Tincture. This the Student was to ſwallow upon a faſting Stomach, and for three days following eat nothing but Bread and Water. As the Wafer digeſted, the Tincture mounted to his Brain, bearing the Propoſition along with it."
- 3 Of or relating to the head.; Of or relating to the cephalon (the head of a trilobite).
- 4 Toward the head; in bipeds such as humans, this direction corresponds to superior.
- 5 Headlike; cephaloid.
- 1 of or relating to the head wordnet
Synonyms
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More examples"The objective of this study was to identify the factors predictive of the success of external cephalic version (ECV). […] The study shows that transverse foetal presentation, a senior physician operator, multiparity, as well as a non-anterior placental location are factors predictive of the success of ECV."
Etymology
From Middle French céphalique, from Latin cephalicus (“head”), from Ancient Greek κεφαλικός (kephalikós, “capital”), from κεφαλή (kephalḗ, “head”).
Related phrases
More for "cephalic"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.