Cranially

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner relating to the skull or head region; pertaining to the upper part of the body or braincase area; indicating orientation or direction toward the cranium
2. Describing actions or positions involving the skull or head; associated with the area encompassing the brain and upper skeleton; signifying movement or location directed toward the head
3. Characteristic of or connected with the region of the skull; relating to the uppermost bodily structures including the brain cavity; referring to points or directions toward the cranial section

Etymology: "Cranially" is a plain formation: the adjective "cranial" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" added to it. "Cranial" itself comes from "cranium," the Modern Latin name for the skull, which derives from the Greek "kranion," meaning skull or helmet. The adverb therefore carries the sense "in a manner relating to the skull," and its meaning is set by the adjective it is built on. Most of the word's use comes in anatomy, medicine and related fields, where writers need to say that something is directed toward, or located in relation to, the head or braincase. It is a technical coinage in that sense rather than an ancient word, so its history is essentially the history of the Latinate and Greek scientific vocabulary behind "cranium" and "cranial."

Synonyms: cephalically

Antonyms: caudally