1. Plural of craniologythe study of the structure and characteristics of skulls, especially as a means of classifying human races or determining intelligence (now considered pseudoscientific).
Usage: historical; pseudoscientific; academic

Examples

• Nineteenth-century craniologies attempted to link skull measurements to human intelligence.
• Modern anthropologists reject the racist assumptions embedded in earlier craniologies.
• The museum's collection includes instruments once used in craniologies studies.
• Scholars now recognize that craniologies lacked scientific validity.
• Historical craniologies reflected the biases of their era rather than objective fact.