Brachistocephalic

/ˌbræk.ɪ.stoʊˈsɛf.ə.lɪk/ adjective

Definition

Relating to a very broad or short skull; describing head shapes with a notably wide breadth relative to length.

Etymology

From Greek brachys 'short' plus istos 'equal' or direct 'shortest' plus kephale 'head' plus -ic. The term comes from anthropometric classification of skull types.

Kelly Says

Anthropologists invented these tongue-twisting terms to categorize human skull shapes, but it turns out skull shape has almost nothing to do with intelligence, ability, or character—a scientific system created to measure something that doesn't really matter.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.