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Glite Dictionary
📺 Crime drama series 🕵️ Crime scene expert 👥 Investigation unit
CSI

CSI

3 4.3
A person who collects and studies physical evidence at crime scenes
  • noun
  • /ˌsiːˌɛsˈaɪ/
translation icon : investigador forense
  • They'll do some kind of CSI-stuff investigation.

Examples

  • As a CSI, her primary responsibility was to collect evidence from the crime scene for the investigation.

  • After years of working as a CSI, he had developed a keen eye for detail when analyzing crime scenes.

  • - Well, you did your "CSI."

    The Actor (2024)

  • "My father is a 'CSI' guy.

    Blog text (6)

  • And then of course, where does this stuff get used that you guys all surely know about forensics, CSI and all that kind of stuff.

  • Gator bites and knife fights, the dream of every young CSI agent.

    Freshwater (2016)

  • The CSI carefully examined the fingerprints found on the window to gather clues about the suspect.

Synonyms

detective
vsCSI
∞ 2.7

A police officer who investigates crimes and finds out what happened

focuses specifically on collecting and analyzing physical evidence at scenes
investigator
vsCSI
756 3.4

A police officer who looks into crimes to find evidence

focuses more narrowly on physical evidence at crime scenes
police detective
vsCSI
27 2.7

A police officer who investigates crimes and collects evidence

specializes in collecting and analyzing physical evidence at crime scenes
criminalist
vsCSI
  • Specialized
11 7.5

A person who uses science to collect and test evidence to help solve crimes

focuses on collecting and analyzing physical scene evidence rather than broader case work

Surface Forms

CSI singular
CSIs plural

Morphology

CSI = crime + scene + investigation (semi-transparent) = C + S + I

CSI is an initialism for 'crime scene investigation' so its meaning follows directly from the expanded words but not from standard morphological affixation, making it only partially transparent to learners who know the expansion.

Etymology

CSI comes from the first letters of Crime Scene Investigator, meaning a person who works at a 'crime scene' to 'investigate' and collect evidence, so a CSI is the person who gathers fingerprints and samples.