Which term means 'pertaining to the skull'?

Which term means 'pertaining to the skull'?

• A. Cryopexy
• B. Craniotomy
• C. Cranial
• D. Cribriform

Answer: (C)

Cranial describes something pertaining to the skull. The root crani- means skull, and the suffix -al turns it into an adjective meaning related to. This is widely used in terms like cranial nerves or cranial bones to specify that those structures relate to the skull. The other terms point to different concepts: cryopexy involves freezing to seal tissues (often in eye surgery), not the skull; craniotomy is a surgical procedure that involves opening the skull, not a descriptor of skull relation; cribriform means sieve-like and is used to describe a shape or feature, such as the cribriform plate, rather than a general relation to the skull. So cranial is the best fit for “pertaining to the skull.”

Cranial describes something pertaining to the skull. The root crani- means skull, and the suffix -al turns it into an adjective meaning related to. This is widely used in terms like cranial nerves or cranial bones to specify that those structures relate to the skull. The other terms point to different concepts: cryopexy involves freezing to seal tissues (often in eye surgery), not the skull; craniotomy is a surgical procedure that involves opening the skull, not a descriptor of skull relation; cribriform means sieve-like and is used to describe a shape or feature, such as the cribriform plate, rather than a general relation to the skull. So cranial is the best fit for “pertaining to the skull.”