thumbprint

American  

[thuhm-print] / ˈθʌmˌprɪnt /

noun

1. a mark or impression of the ventral surface of the last joint of the thumb.

---

thumbprint British  

/ ˈθʌmˌprɪnt /

noun

1. an impression of the upper part of the thumb, used esp for identification purposes See fingerprint

---

Etymology

Origin of thumbprint

First recorded in 1895–1900; thumb + print

Example Sentences

In these postwar decades, Cowley’s thumbprint seemed to be on everything.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Writing is a way of marking existence. For me to have that as a thumbprint foundation to pretty much everything that I do is like: Before anything else, someone was here.”

From Los Angeles Times

Paying this way already has an unlimited payment limit, owing to the in-built extra security features such as thumbprints or face ID.

From BBC

Smartphones already have an extra layer of security, through thumbprints or face ID.

From BBC

His thumbprint was found on one of three bottles of vodka on a sideboard in the Hunts' home, and he had also searched on the internet whether alcohol was flammable.

From BBC

Related Words

• aspect
• attribute
• component
• essence
• flavor
• nature
• peculiarity
• personality
• quality
• style
• symptom
• temperament
• tendency
• tone
• virtue