- skull
- early 13c., probably from O.N. skalli "bald head, skull," a general Scandinavian word (cf. Swedish skulle, Norw. skult), probably related to O.E. scealu "husk" (see shell). But early prominence in southwestern texts suggests rather origin from a Dutch or Low Ger. cognate (e.g. Du. schol "turf, piece of ice," but the sense of "head bone framework" is wanting). Derivation from O.Fr. escuelle seems unlikely on grounds of sound and sense. O.E. words for skull include heafod-bolla.