fingerprints

fin-ger-prints · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    Impressions made by the ridged skin on the tips of the fingers, used for identification.

  2. 2.

    Distinctive identifying characteristics or markers.

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    take someone's fingerprints — to record a person's fingerprints for identification
  • •
    all over something's fingerprints — evidence of someone's involvement

Related words

See also: evidence, fingerprint, identification
Synonyms: impressions, prints

Etymology

Plural of fingerprint, a compound from finger + print. The use for identification became widespread in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.