Definition
phrenologist
noun
- a person who practices phrenology, the study of skull shape and size to determine character and mental abilities
Usage: historical; now considered pseudoscience
Examples
- In the 19th century, phrenologists claimed they could read a person's personality by examining the bumps on their head.
- The phrenologist measured the patient's skull with calipers and made detailed notes.
- Modern scientists reject the theories that phrenologists once promoted.
- A famous phrenologist of the 1800s toured Europe giving public lectures on skull analysis.
- The museum displayed instruments that phrenologists used in their practice.