also: an ink impression of the lines upon the fingertip taken for the purpose of identification
2
: something that identifies: such as
a
: a trait, trace, or characteristic revealing origin or responsibility
b
: analytical evidence (such as a spectrogram) that characterizes an object or substance
especially: the chromatogram or electrophoretogram obtained by cleaving a protein by enzymatic action and subjecting the resulting collection of peptides to two-dimensional chromatography or electrophoresis
c
: the base-pair pattern in an individual's DNA obtained by DNA fingerprinting
Detectives found his fingerprints all over the gun.
Everyone has a unique fingerprint.
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When the two probe molecules bind to the target, fluorescent signals are emitted, which essentially reveal the fingerprint of different pathogens.—New Atlas, 26 Mar. 2025 Those sets of colors act as atomic fingerprints that are used to characterizea wide variety of things - from the gases in far-off stars, to the blood in a person's finger.—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 26 Mar. 2025 In 2021, State Attorney Monique Worrell became the first prosecutor to support reexamining the case by backing a request by Zeigler’s lawyers to release evidence for testing, including fingerprints collected at the scene that would have been tested at her office’s expense.—Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025 But recently, a team of researchers, by analyzing the chemical fingerprint of the rock, found out that the Altar Stone almost certainly came from the Orcadian Basin in northeast Scotland.—Richard Grant, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fingerprint
especially: an ink impression of the lines on the fingertip taken for purpose of identification
2
: analytical evidence (as a spectrogram) that characterizes an object or substance
especially: the chromatogram or electrophoretogram obtained by cleaving a protein by enzymatic action and subjecting the resulting collection of peptides to two-dimensional chromatography or electrophoresis compare dna fingerprinting
fingerprint
2 of 2transitive verb
: to analyze (as spectrographically or chromatographically) in order to determine uniquely the identifying characteristics, origin, or constitution of
each protein was fingerprinted
fingerprintingnoun
Legal Definition
fingerprint
noun
fin·ger·print
: the impression of a fingertip on any surface
also: an ink impression of the lines upon the fingertip taken for the purpose of identification (as during the booking procedure following an arrest) see also dna fingerprinting
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