the skull of a human being," "early 15c., craneum, from Medieval Latin cranium "skull," from Greek kranion "skull, upper part of the head," related to kara (poetic kras) "head," from PIE root *ker- (1) "horn; head." Strictly, the "brain-box," the bony case which encloses the brain. Englished by Sir Thomas Browne as crany.
