Calvarial

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /kælˈvɛəɹi.əl/

Definitions

1. Relating to the uppermost portion of the skull that protects the brain
2. Pertaining to the dome-shaped section of the cranial structure that encases vital neural tissue
3. Referring to the dome-like upper section of the skull that covers and safeguards the brain

Etymology: Calvarial is a plain, technical formation: it comes from "calvaria," the medical and anatomical term for the top part of the skull, with the adjective suffix "-al" added to it. The "-al" ending has a long ancestry, passing from Latin "-ālis" through Old French "-el" and Middle English "-al" before settling into English, where it has been used for centuries to form adjectives meaning "relating to" a noun. The base word "calvaria" is itself a Latin noun, "calvaria," meaning "skull," built on the Latin root "calvus," meaning "bald." The image behind it is the bare, hairless crown of the head, a sense that anatomists took up when they needed a precise name for the bony vault of the skull. Calvarial therefore means simply "relating to the skull," and its meaning follows directly from the noun it is built on.