Bertillon system

American  

[bur-tl-on sis-tuhm] / ˈbɜr tlˌɒn ˌsɪs təm /

noun

1. a system of identifying persons, especially criminals, by a record of individual physical measurements and peculiarities: fingerprinting soon supplanted the Bertillon system as the primary identifying technique in forensic science.

   The suspect’s facial measurements, taken and assessed through the Bertillon system, were used to prove her guilt, even though she had a very sound alibi.

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Bertillon system British  

/ ˈbɜːtɪˌlɒn, bɛrtijɔ̃ /

noun

1. a system formerly in use for identifying persons, esp criminals, by means of a detailed record of physical characteristics

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Etymology

Origin of Bertillon system

First recorded in 1895–1900; named after A. Bertillon

Example Sentences

To Booth the answer was photography�in effect, an application of the Bertillon system.

From Time Magazine Archive

Goron got himself invited to speak about the Bertillon system.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

After years of internal resistance, Bertillon converted the Paris police to a new system, which he modestly called the Bertillon system.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

But fingerprinting was on the rise, and it was beginning to displace the Bertillon system.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Indeed, when the Bertillon system worked best, it felt straight out of fiction.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day