Phrenology


[fri-nol-uh-jee, fre-] /frɪˈnɒl ə dʒi, frɛ-/

noun
1.
a psychological theory or analytical method based on the belief that certain mental faculties and character traits are indicated by the configurations of the skull.
/frɪˈnɒlədʒɪ/
noun
1.
(formerly) the branch of science concerned with localization of function in the human brain, esp determination of the strength of the faculties by the shape and size of the skull overlying the parts of the brain thought to be responsible for them
n.

1815, literally “mental science,” from phreno- + -logy “study of.” Applied to the theory of mental faculties originated by Gall and Spurzheim that led to the 1840s mania for reading personality clues in the shape of one’s skull and the “bumps” of the head. Related: Phrenological; phrenologist.

phrenology phre·nol·o·gy (frĭ-nŏl’ə-jē)
n.
The study of the shape and protuberances of the skull, based on the now discredited belief that they reveal character and mental capacity.
phrenology
(frĭ-nŏl’ə-jē)
The study of the shape of the skull as a means of determining character and intelligence. Phrenology has been disproven as a science.

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