phrenology

Definition

The pseudoscience which studies the relationships between a person's character and the morphology (structure) of the skull.

Etymology

From phreno- + -logy.

Example Sentences

• "Phrenology involves feeling the bumps in the skull to determine an individual's psychological attributes."
• "MR. BURNS: Who could forget such a monstrous visage? She has the sloping brow and cranial bumpage of the career criminal. MR. SMITHERS: Uh, sir, phrenology was dismissed as quackery 160 years ago."
• "Phrenology was the practice of correlating bumps on a skull with mental powers and attributes of character."

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