Definition of: phrenology

(fri·nol′ə·jē) noun
The doctrine that the conformation of the human skull, its shape and protuberances, indicate the position and degree of development of separate parts of the brain which control the various mental faculties and characteristics; loosely, character analysis by interpreting cranial formations. [<Gk. phrēn, phrenos mind + -LOGY]
—phren·o·log·ic (fren′ə·loj′ik) or ·i·cal adjective
—phren′o·log′i·cal·ly adverb
—phre·nol′o·gist noun