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Glite Dictionary
bullet fingerprinting

bullet fingerprinting

7.2
A way to identify the gun that fired a bullet by examining marks on the bullet and its case
  • noun
  • /ˈbʌlɪt ˈfɪŋɡərˌprɪntɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : huella balística
  • Advances in bullet fingerprinting have made it easier to solve firearm-related crimes.

Examples

  • Because of bullet fingerprinting, investigators quickly identified the weapon involved in the shooting.

  • The police used bullet fingerprinting to match the bullets found at the scene to a specific handgun.

  • The police used bullet fingerprinting to solve the crime.

  • Is bullet fingerprinting effective in criminal investigations?

  • The forensic team used bullet fingerprinting to link the crime scene to the suspect's firearm.

  • After conducting bullet fingerprinting, the detectives were able to trace the bullet back to the specific gun used in the robbery.

  • By applying bullet fingerprinting, law enforcement can identify the exact weapon that discharged a bullet in a shooting incident.

Synonyms

ballistic fingerprinting
vsbullet fingerprinting
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A way police use to find which gun fired a bullet by matching marks on bullets and casings

is the same process but uses a different common name
ballistic identification
vsbullet fingerprinting
  • Specialized
7.2

To find which gun fired a bullet by matching marks on the bullet and its case

refers to the same analysis but uses a broader technical term

Surface Forms

bullet fingerprinting singular
bullet fingerprintings plural

Morphology

bullet + fingerprinting

The meaning is directly formed by combining 'bullet' (the projectile) with 'fingerprinting' (the process of identifying via unique marks), so a learner can infer it refers to applying fingerprinting techniques to bullets to identify a firearm. This noun–noun composition follows normal English compounding patterns and is therefore immediately comprehensible to someone who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

The term bullet fingerprinting comes from the idea that a bullet picks up tiny, unique marks from the inside of a gun, so the process is like fingerprinting a person. Investigators match these marks to a gun, so the phrase means 'identifying the firearm that fired a bullet'.