forensic

1 of 2

adjective

fo·​ren·​sic fə-ˈren(t)-sik How to pronounce forensic (audio) -ˈren-zik How to pronounce forensic (audio)
1
: belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts of judicature or to public discussion and debate
a lawyer's forensic skills
2
: argumentative, rhetorical
forensic eloquence
3
: relating to or dealing with the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems
forensic medicine
forensic science
forensic pathologist
forensic experts
forensically adverb

forensic

2 of 2

noun

1
: an argumentative exercise
2
forensics fə-ˈren(t)-siks How to pronounce forensic (audio)
-ˈren-ziks
plural in form but singular or plural in construction : the art or study of argumentative discourse
3
forensics plural in form but singular or plural in construction : the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems
especially : scientific analysis of physical evidence (as from a crime scene)

Did you know?

The noun forensic, meaning “an argumentative exercise” derives from the adjective forensic, whose earliest meaning in English is “belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts or to public discussion and debate.” The English word was derived from a Latin word forensic meaning “of the market place or form, public,” which in turn comes from the Latin word forum, meaning “market place, forum.”

Examples of forensic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Alicia McCarthy, a forensic scientist hired by the defense, points to a characteristic called a recurve on footprint E2. Jordan Kinsey, CBS News, 17 May 2025 The office said experts from the Jalisco Institute of Forensic Sciences were processing the scene, and Marquez’s body was taken to forensic medical service personnel for an autopsy. Saleen Martin, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Noun
They are expected to call their own digital forensics expert later in the trial to testify to this conclusion. Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 7 May 2025 Former officer shared photo of Nichols 11 times after beating After the beating, Haley took a photo of Nichols’ body leaned up against the side of an unmarked police cruiser, according to Derek Miller, a cybercrimes forensics expert with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Jack Armstrong, USA Today, 2 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for forensic

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Latin forensis public, forensic, from forum forum

First Known Use

Adjective

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of forensic was in 1659

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Forensic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forensic. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

forensic

adjective
fo·​ren·​sic
fə-ˈren(t)-sik,
-ˈren-zik
: belonging to, used in, or suitable to courts of law or to public discussion and debate
forensically
-si-k(ə-)lē
-zi-
adverb
Etymology

Adjective

from Latin forensis "of a forum, public," from forum "market, place of public discussion, court"

Medical Definition

forensic

adjective
fo·​ren·​sic fə-ˈren(t)-sik How to pronounce forensic (audio) -ˈren-zik How to pronounce forensic (audio)
: relating to or dealing with the application of scientific knowledge to legal problems especially in regard to criminal evidence
a forensic pathologist
forensic experts
… a forensic technique of DNA analysis allows for the determination of whether a subject with a specific genetic profile has contributed to aggregate genomic data.Kathy L. Hudson, The New England Journal of Medicine

Legal Definition

forensic

adjective
fo·​ren·​sic fə-ˈren-sik, -zik How to pronounce forensic (audio)
1
: belonging to, used in, or suitable to the courts or to public discussion and debate
2
: relating to or dealing with the application of scientific knowledge (as of medicine or linguistics) to legal problems
forensic pathology
forensic experts
forensically adverb
Etymology

Adjective

Latin forensis public, forensic, from forum forum

More from Merriam-Webster on forensic

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