Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Dolichocephalic

Dolichocephalic (pronounced dol-i-koh-suh-fal-ik)

(1) The state of having a head much longer than it is broad, especially one with a cephalic index under 75.

(2) Any creature with such a head.

(3) A creature thought to have a disproportionately long head.

1852: The construct was dolicho + cephalic.  From New Latin dolichocephalus (long-headed) derived from the Greek dolichos (long) + kephalos (head); original form of kephalos was kephalē.  Used mostly in zoology and anthropology, forms include dolichocephaly (noun), hyperdolichocephalic  (adjective), hyperdolichocephaly (noun), subdolichocephalic (adjective), subdolichocephalism (noun), subdolichocephalous (adjective) and subdolichocephaly (noun).

Zoanthropic NFT: Lindsay Lohan's Furry canine (some suggested it was wolf-like) was rendered in dolichocephalic form.  The Lohanic fursona was first mentioned in September 2021 but not minted until October.

The cephalic index or cranial index is the ratio of the maximum width of the head of a creature multiplied by 100 divided by its maximum length.  The index is important to dog and cat breeders who seek mating pairs with an index number as close as possible to the defined ideal for a particular breed.  In general zoology, skull are classified into three types,  Those with ratios below seventy-five indicates skulls that are long and narrow, (dolichocephalic); those between seventy-five and eighty are slightly broader (mesocephalic); those with ratios above eighty are rounder (brachycephalic).

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