fingerprint patterns
Fingerprint patterns. From top left to bottom right: loop, double loop, central pocket loop, plain whorl, plain arch, and tented arch.
fingerprint
forensic science
fingerprint, impression made by the papillary ridges on the ends of the fingers and thumbs. Fingerprints afford an infallible means of personal identification, because the ridge arrangement on every finger of every human being is unique and does not alter with growth or age. Fingerprints serve to reveal an individual’s true identity despite personal denial, assumed names, or changes in personal appearance resulting from age, disease, plastic surgery, or accident. The practice of utilizing fingerprints...