cranium (skull) In the axial skeleton of vertebrates, the bony structure that encases the brain. The cranium comprises three parts: dermatocranium; chondrocranium; and splanchnocranium. The dermatocranium is derived from the neural crest cells of the integument and includes the roof of the cranium, the area around the orbits, and the jaw. The chondrocranium is derived mostly from cartilaginous material by endochondrial ossification and includes the floor of the cranium. The splanchnocranium is derived from skeletal elements derived from the gut and gives rise to the visceral skeleton (gill arches and derivatives such as larynx and trachea).

cra·ni·um / ˈkrānēəm/ • n. (pl. -ni·ums or -ni·a / -nēə/ ) Anat. the skull, esp. the part enclosing the brain.

cranium XVI. — medL. crānium — Gr. krāníon, rel. to kárā head, and hence to the group of kéras, L. cornū HORN. The comb. form is cranio- (see -O-), as in craniology XIX.
Hence cranial XVIII.

cranium (skull) In the axial skeleton of vertebrates, the bony structure that encases the brain. The cranium comprises three parts: dermatocranium; chondrocranium; and splanchnocranium. The dermatocranium includes the roof of the cranium, the area around the orbits, and the jaw. The chondrocranium includes the floor of the cranium. The splanchnocranium gives rise to the visceral skeleton (gill arches and derivatives such as larynx and trachea).

cranium (brain case) The part of the vertebrate skull that encloses and protects the brain. It is formed by the fusion of several flattened bones, which have immovable joints (sutures) between them.