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Definition of Fingerprint
1. Noun. A print made by an impression of the ridges in the skin of a finger; often used for biometric identification in criminal investigations.
Specialized synonyms: Loop, Thumbprint
2. Verb. Take an impression of a person's fingerprints. "They want to fingerprint the prisoners "
3. Noun. A generic term for any identifying characteristic. ; "That tax bill had the senator's fingerprints all over it"
4. Noun. A smudge made by a (dirty) finger.
Definition of Fingerprint
1. [v -ED, -ING, -S]
Medical Definition of Fingerprint
1. 1. An impression of the inked bulb of the distal phalanx of a finger, showing the configuration of the surface ridges, used as a means of identification. See: dermatoglyphics, Galton's system of classification of fingerprints. 2. Term, sometimes used informally, referring to any analytical method capable of making fine distinctions between similar compounds or gel patterns; e.g., the pattern of an infrared absorption curve or of a two-dimensional paper chromatograph. 3. In genetics, the analysis of DNA fragments to determine the identity of an individual or the paternity of a child. Synonym: genetic fingerprint. (05 Mar 2000)