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Polygraph
//ˈpɒliɡɹæf// noun, verb
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A device which measures and records several physiological variables such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and skin conductivity while a series of questions is being posed to a subject, in an attempt to detect deception.
"It used to be just a plain office with a chair and some instruments on a table. Then they got the new, fancy polygraph system."
- 2 a medical instrument that records several physiological processes simultaneously (e.g., pulse rate and blood pressure and respiration and perspiration) wordnet
- 3 A mechanical instrument for multiplying copies of a writing, resembling multiple pantographs. dated
- 4 A collection of different works, either by one or several authors. archaic
- 5 A group of letters that represent a single phoneme.
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- 6 Any group of letters treated as a single item.
"A polygraph consists of an unspecified number of adjacent letters. A polygraph need not be recognisable as a word in a language but if we are attempting to decipher a message which is expected to be in English and we find the heptagraph MEETING it is much more promising than if we find a heptagraph such as DKRPIGX."
- 7 An author who writes on many subjects.
- 8 A multidimensional directed graph.
Verb
- 1 To administer a polygraph test to. transitive
"The FBI polygraphed the suspect but learned nothing because they already knew he was lying."
Etymology
Etymology 1
From poly- + -graph.
Etymology 2
From poly- + -graph.
See also for "polygraph"
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