occiput

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UK/ˈɒk.sɪ.pʌt/US/ˈɑk.səˌpʌt/US/ˈɑk.səp.ət/

noun

The back part of the head or skull.

Opposite
UncommonScrabble 13

Meanings

nounocciput (plural occipita or occiputs)

plural occipita · plural occiputs

  1. anatomyThe back part of the head or skull.

    He wore a large white cotton Nubian shirt, trimmed with red pompons, and shaved his head, except for one lock at the occiput ‘by which Mohammed lifts you up on Judgement Day’.

    2002, Alain de Botton, The Art of Travel, published 2008
    1 more example

    And then came Turbor, who sat quietly and unemotionally through the fifteen minute process, and Munn, who jerked at the first touch of the electrodes, and then spent the session rolling his eyes as though he wished he could turn them backwards and watch through a hole in his occiput.

    1953, Isaac Asimov, “9: The Conspirators”, in Second Foundation (Foundation Series), Panther Books Ltd, Part II: Search by the Foundation, page 95

    Antonyms: sinciput

Synonyms & antonyms

nounThe back part of the head or skull.

Opposite

Origin

  1. Latinocciput“the back part of the head”
  2. Englishocciput

Borrowed from Latin occiput (“the back part of the head”). Compare sinciput.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic قَذَال
  • قَذَال (qaḏāl)Translations
Bulgarian тил
  • тил (til)Translations
Catalan occípit
  • occípitTranslations
Czech týl
  • týlTranslations
Dutch achterhoofd
  • achterhoofdTranslations
Esperanto okcipito, postkranio
  • okcipitoTranslations
  • postkranioTranslations
Finnish takaraivo
  • takaraivoTranslations
French occiput
  • occiputTranslations
German Hinterkopf
  • HinterkopfTranslations
Hungarian tarkó, nyakszirt
  • tarkóTranslations
  • nyakszirtTranslations
Irish cúlphlaic, ocsapat
  • cúlphlaicTranslations
  • ocsapatTranslations
Italian occipite
  • occipiteTranslations
Latvian pakausis
  • pakausisTranslations
Lithuanian pakaušis
  • pakaušisTranslations
Polish potylica
  • potylicaTranslations
Portuguese occipício, occipúcio
  • occipícioTranslations
  • occipúcioTranslations
  • occipitalTranslations
  • occiputTranslations
Russian заты́лок
  • заты́лок (zatýlok)Translations
Slovak tylo
  • tyloTranslations
Spanish occipucio, colodrillo
  • occipucioTranslations
  • colodrilloTranslations
Swedish bakhuvud
  • bakhuvudTranslations
Tagalog pilipot, pangawol
  • pilipotTranslations
  • pangawolTranslations
Tamil பின்னந்தலை
  • பின்னந்தலை (piṉṉantalai)Translations
Thai ท้ายทอย
  • ท้ายทอย (táai-tɔɔi)Translations
Turkish artkafa
  • artkafaTranslations
Ukrainian поти́лиця
  • поти́лиця (potýlycja)Translations
Cite this entry
APA

occiput. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/occiput

MLA

“occiput.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/occiput. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “occiput,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/occiput.

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