phrenology
2
9.9
- noun
- /frəˈnɑlədʒi/
- Archaic
:
frenología
- The new orientation emerged in the context of the rising interest in phrenology and craniology, new attitudes regarding the body, and the debate over the incorporation of the Indian into American society.
So this is a larger point than just about phrenology or or physiognomy.
- So this is a larger point than just about phrenology or or physiognomy.
Examples
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Although not a phrenologist, he did incorporate elements of phrenology in his thinking.
Academic text (1996) -
So this is a larger point than just about phrenology or or physiognomy.
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OK, so this was at the time when phrenology was becoming popular.
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From this aspect phrenology is capable of still greater expansion.
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The textbook was on phrenology, so in this case he was absolutely right!
Blog text (32) -
It's a phrenology chart.
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Phrenology also figures in, for instance, "The Business Man" and "The Imp of the Perverse."
Academic text (1999) -
Even during the heyday of its popularity in the 1800s, phrenology was often derided by mainstream scientists as a form of quackery.
Blog text (10) -
In a Southern Literary Messenger book review on Mrs. L. Miles's Phrenology and the Moral Influence of Phrenology, Poe wrote that phrenology "has assumed the majesty of a science; and as a science, ranks among the most important which can engage the attention of thinking beings" (13: 252).
Academic text (1999) -
During the 19th century, many people believed in phrenology as a way to understand personality traits.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A practice of judging someone's personality from their face or handwriting that is not scientific
How Scientific
Surface Forms
Morphology
phrenology = phren + logy
The word is built from the classical root 'phren' and the suffix '-logy', but its specialized historical meaning is not readily predictable from those parts for most learners.
Etymology
Phrenology comes from two Greek parts: phren- meaning 'mind' and -logy meaning 'study', as in biology. So phrenology literally meant 'the study of the mind', and people once tried to judge a person's character by the bumps on their skull, which is why the word now refers to that not scientific practice.