cra·ni·um 
(krānē-əm)
(krānē-əm)n. pl. cra·ni·ums or cra·ni·a (-nē-ə)
1. The skull.
2. The portion of the skull enclosing the brain; the braincase.
[Middle English craneum, from Medieval Latin crānium, from Greek krānion; see ker-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]