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calvarium

UK/kælˈvɛəɹi.əm/US/kælˈvɛɹi.əm/

noun

The upper, domelike portion of the skull (without the lower jaw).

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OriginLatin calvāria →

Scrabble 16

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Meanings

nouncalvarium (plural calvariums or calvaria)

plural calvariums · plural calvaria

anatomyThe upper, domelike portion of the skull (without the lower jaw).
He turns up the skull between his hands. His fingers explore the calvarium. They emerge through the battered eye sockets.
2020, Hilary Mantel, The Mirror and the Light, Fourth Estate, page 583
Synonyms: calvaria

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe upper, domelike portion of the skull (without the lower jaw).

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Also see

Origin

Latincalvāria“skull”
Englishcalvarium

From Latin calvāria (“skull”), from calva, from calvus (“bald”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with calvarium

Cite this entry

APA

calvarium. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calvarium

MLA

“calvarium.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calvarium. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “calvarium,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calvarium.

Source: calvarium on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.