Etymologically
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crâne

Etymology and origin of the French word crâne

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1314, Henri de Mondeville
Borrowed from
Latin cranium
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek (κρανίον)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kʁan/[1]
  • IPA: /kʁɑn/[1]

Forms

crâne m (plural crânes)[1] First cran (1314), then crane (about 1370); the Académie wrote crane in 1694 and 1718, crâne from 1740.[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin crānium (“skull”), from Ancient Greek κρανίον (kraníon, “skull; head”).[2][3][4][5] Rey relates the Greek word to a root for the top of the body, the head or a horn, also seen in Ancient Greek κέρας (kéras, “horn”) and cornū (“horn”); cerebrum (“brain”) belongs to it too.[3] Classical Latin calvāria “skull” gave calvaire, and Old French used test for the skull.[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The French translation of Henri de Mondeville's Chirurgie (about 1314) has cran for the skeleton of the head;[2][3] Guy de Chauliac's Grande Chirurgie (about 1370) has crane.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The word also names the top of the head, and by metonymy the brain as the seat of intelligence: Retz (before 1679) has crâne étroit for a feeble mind, and the 20th century bourrage de crâne, brainwashing.[2][3][7]

As a noun (Vadé, 1757) and adjective (1784–1787), familiar crâne meant “bold, swaggering”, probably from the way such people hold their heads up; it has given crâner “to show off” (1845) and crâneur (1862).[4][3][8]

Timeline

  • c. 1314 – Cran, in Mondeville's Chirurgie.[2]
  • c. 1370 – Crane, in Guy de Chauliac.[2]
  • Before 1679 – Crâne étroit, in Retz.[2]
  • 1740 – The Académie spells it crâne.[2]
  • 1757 – Un crâne, a bold fellow, in Vadé.[4]
  • 1824 – The derivative crânien.[2]
  • 1845 – Crâner.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The skull, cranium: les os du crâne, fracture du crâne.[9][10]
  2. The head, the top of the head: un crâne chauve, avoir mal au crâne.[9][10]
  3. (familiar) The mind, brains: mets-toi bien cette idée dans le crâne, bourrer le crâne à quelqu'un, to brainwash someone.[11][7]

Adjective

  1. (dated) Bold, brave; swaggering: un air crâne.[9][11]

Word family

  • crânien
  • crâner
  • crâneur
  • cerveau
  • migraine
  • Ancient Greek κρανίον (kraníon)

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 1274a
  6. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  10. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  11. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Crâne.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/cr%C3%A2ne. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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