Dolichocephaly is a term in wide use to describe any long narrow head, with a cephalic index usually below 75%. Scaphocephaly, derived from the Greek skaphe (a light boat or skiff), describes a specific variety of a long narrow head that resembles an inverted
boat with a keel. Scaphocephaly thus refers to an inverted keellike appearance to the skull, with the widest part of the skull in the temporal rather than parietal area and with palpable ridging over part or all of the sagittal suture (PMID:16156241).