forensic

The word “forensic” means relating to the scientific methods used to investigate crimes or establish facts in a court of law. In plain terms, relating to using science to investigate crimes or legal cases.

“Forensic” is pronounced fuh-REHN-zihk (/fəˈɹɛn.zɪk/ in IPA).

Here is “forensic” used in a sentence: “Forensic scientists examined the fingerprints found at the scene.”

Words with a similar meaning to “forensic” include Related and appropriate for a court of law.

“Forensic” is an adjective.

The word “forensic” comes from Latin. From Latin forensis, "of the forum," since Roman legal matters were argued in public in the forum.

“Forensic” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the C1 level.

Forensic describes the scientific methods used to investigate crimes or establish facts for a court of law, such as forensic analysis of evidence. Criminal describes something related to crime itself, such as criminal activity or a criminal act, rather than the investigative methods used to examine it.

Forensic can apply to any scientific method used to establish facts for legal purposes, not only criminal cases, such as forensic accounting used in financial disputes or forensic linguistics used in authorship analysis. The common thread is applying scientific technique to answer questions relevant to a court of law.

Forensic evidence is evidence gathered and analyzed using scientific methods to help establish facts in a criminal investigation or court case. Examples include fingerprint analysis, DNA testing, and ballistics reports.