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biometrics

[ bahy-uh-me-triks ]
/ ˌbaɪ əˈmɛ trɪks /
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noun (used with a singular verb)
Biology, Statistics. biostatistics.
the process by which a person's unique physical and other traits are detected and recorded by an electronic device or system as a means of confirming identity: Scanning of the human iris is a reliable form of biometrics.
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Origin of biometrics

First recorded in 1900–05; biometr(y) + -ics

OTHER WORDS FROM biometrics

bi·o·met·ric, bi·o·met·ri·cal, adjectivebi·o·met·ri·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use biometrics in a sentence

Cultural definitions for biometrics

biometrics

The measuring and analysis of such physical attributes as facial features and voice or retinal scans. This technology can be used to define an individual's unique identity, often for security purposes.

notes for biometrics

Software is available that can match faces of individuals videotaped on the street to the picture of a suspected criminal or terrorist in a database. The use of biometrics is likely to increase in the future as security concerns become more of a priority for both governments and corporations following the September 11 attacks (2001).
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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