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The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science

OSAC Lexicon

The OSAC Lexicon is a compendium of forensic science terms and definitions. This terminology tool was created to help bring consistency and understanding to the way terms are used by the various forensic science. Use of the OSAC Lexicon does not replace the need to reference the original published source.

The terms and definitions in the OSAC Lexicon come from the published literature, including documentary standards and technical reports. It is continually updated with the latest work from OSAC units, as well as terms from newly published documentary standards and standards elevated to the OSAC Registry.

Gradually terms are evaluated and harmonized by the OSAC to a single term. This process results in an OSAC Preferred Term. An OSAC Preferred Term is a term, along with its definition, that has undergone review and evaluation by the FSSB Terminology Task Group and has been approved by the FSSB. The FSSB recommends that subcommittees use OSAC Preferred Terms when drafting standards.

The OSAC Lexicon should be the primary resource for terminology and used when drafting and editing forensic science standards and other OSAC work products. 

Displaying 2051 - 2100 of 3629
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Minimum Explosible Concentration (Mec)

The minimum concentration of a combustible dust cloud that is capable of propagating a deflagration through a uniform mixture of the dust and air under the specified conditions of test. [68, 2018]

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
Minimum Identification Criteria

Lowest number of points, including a chromatographic separation, that must be achieved within a testing regimen to identify an analyte in a specific matrix.

Committee
Forensic Toxicology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 113 Standard for Identification Criteria in Forensic Toxicology. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2022. Source link
Term link
Minimum Ignition Energy (Mie)

The lowest capacitive spark energy capable of igniting the most ignition-sensitive concentration of a flammable vapor-air mixture or a combustible dust-air mixture as determined by a standard test procedure. [652, 2019]

Committee
Fire & Explosion Investigation
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
NFPA 921:2021 Guide for Fire and Explosion Investigations. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 1 Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA, 2021. Source link
Term link
Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI)

The fewest number of individuals represented by a sample; often calculated as the number of the most repeated element after sorting by element, side, and developmental status.

Committee
Forensic Anthropology
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 214, Forensic Anthropology: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2026. Source link
Term link
Minimum Standard

Written documents established to define the least level of performance considered acceptable.

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
minus A (–A)

A reference to PCR product that does not possess an extra A nucleotide at its 3’ end due to incomplete non-template nucleotide addition; sometimes referred to as n-1.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Standard 091 Standard for Training in Analysis of Forensic Short Tandem Repeat (STR) DNA Data. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2026. Source link
Term link
Minutia

The point where a friction ridge begins, terminates, or splits into two or more ridges.Minutiae are friction ridge characteristics that are used to individualize a friction ridgeimage (fingerprint, palm print, plantar). This is also known as Level 2 detail.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
minutia

The point where a friction ridge terminates, or splits into two or more ridges. A subset of the friction ridge detail/features traditionally consisting of ridge endings, bifurcations, and dots, or any combination thereof, used to compare and interpret similarity and dissimilarity between two impressions.

Committee
Friction Ridge
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 015 Standard for Examining Friction Ridge Impressions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2024. Source link
Term link
minutia

The point where a friction ridge terminates, or splits into two or more ridges. A subset of the friction ridge detail/features traditionally consisting of ridge endings, bifurcations, and dots used to compare and interpret similarity and dissimilarity between two impressions.

Committee
Friction Ridge
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 166 Best Practice Recommendation for Comparison and Evaluation of Friction Ridge Impressions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2024. Source link
Term link
minutia

The point where a friction ridge terminates, or splits into two or more ridges. A subset of the friction ridge detail/features traditionally consisting of ridge endings, bifurcations, and dots used to compare and interpret similarity and dissimilarity between two impressions.

Committee
Friction Ridge
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB Best Practice Recommendation 165 Best Practice Recommendation for Analysis of Friction Ridge Impressions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2024. Source link
Term link
minutia

The point where a friction ridge terminates, or splits into two or more ridges. A subset of the friction ridge detail/features traditionally consisting of ridge endings, bifurcations, and dots, or any combination thereof, used to compare and interpret similarity and dissimilarity between two impressions.

Committee
Friction Ridge
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB Best Practice Recommendation 183, Best Practice Recommendation for Limited Friction Ridge Examinations. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2026. Source link
Term link
Miss

When the canine fails to alert in the known presence of the target odor/scent.

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
Mission Requirement

Performance demanded of a person or canine team in accordance with certain fixed regulations, needs of the department or agency. Compulsory pre-requisites needed before deployment.

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)

Organelles found in eukaryotes (including humans) that provide the energy for the cell; contains DNA inherited from an individual’s biological mother.

Committee
Wildlife Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 111 Standard for Training in Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Analysis for Taxonomic Identification . AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2020. Source link
Term link
Mitochondrial Dna

Small circular DNA molecules located in structures used to provide energy to the cell(mitochondria). Their small size and abundant nature make them particularly useful whenexamining small or much damaged biological material. It can be used to trace maternallineages as it is only inherited from ones mother.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
Mitochondrial Dna (Mtdna)

An often small (~16,500 bp in humans), circular DNA molecule located in eukaryotic mitochondria that is typically maternally inherited; the resistance to degradation and presence of multiple copies of mtDNA in each cell make it useful with samples originating from limited or damaged biological material.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 130 Standard for Training in Forensic DNA Amplification Methods for Subsequent Capillary Electrophoresis Sequencing. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2021. Source link
Term link
Mitochondrial Dna Mtdna

A small, circular DNA molecule located in eukaryotic mitochondria that is typically maternally inherited; the resistance to degradation and presence of multiple copies of mtDNA in each cell makes it useful with samples originating from limited or damaged biological material.

Committee
Wildlife Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 047 Wildlife Forensics Validation Standard - Validating New Primers for Sequencing. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2019. Source link
Term link
Mitochondrial Dna Mtdna

A small (~16,500 base pairs), circular DNA molecule located in eukaryotic mitochondria that is typically maternally inherited; the resistance to degradation and presence of multiple copies of mtDNA in each cell makes it useful with samples originating from limited or damaged biological material; 2 variations in the DNA sequence may be used for distinguishing individuals, and in biological relationship and ancestry testing

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 022 Standard for Forensic DNA Analysis Training Programs. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2019. Source link
Term link
Mixed Dna Sample

Any biological sample containing DNA from more than one individual

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 020 Standard for Validation Studies of DNA Mixtures, and Development and Verification of a Laboratory's Mixture Interpretation Protocol. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2018. Source link
Term link
mixed DNA sample

Any biological sample containing DNA from more than one individual.

Committee
Wildlife Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 046 Wildlife Forensics Validation Standards—STR Analysis. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2019. Source link
Term link
mixture

DNA typing results originating from two or more individuals.

Committee
Wildlife Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 046 Wildlife Forensics Validation Standards—STR Analysis. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2019. Source link
Term link
Mixture Studies

Experiments performed to evaluate the performance of the test method when samples containing mixtures of similar or different body fluids and/or cell types are assayed.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 077 Standard for the Developmental and Internal Validation of Forensic Serological Methods. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2020. Source link
Term link
Mobile Device
a portable device that has an embedded system architecture, processing capability, on-board memory, and may have telephony capabilities (for example, cell phones, tablets, and smartphones).
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Mobile Phase
the moving liquid phase used for development.
Committee
Trace Materials
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Mobile Phone Forensics
for legal purposes, the utilization of scientific methodologies to recover data stored by a cellular device.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Mock Casework Samples

Samples of known origin that mimic or simulate a range of casework sample types that may include laboratory created samples or proficiency test samples.

Committee
Human Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 077 Standard for the Developmental and Internal Validation of Forensic Serological Methods. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2020. Source link
Term link
Modality

This is a type or class of biometric system. Any measurable biological or behavioralcharacteristic can be a biometric modality.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
model signature

A signature that is used as a prototype for a simulation or copy, by manual, electronic, or other means.

Committee
Forensic Document Examination
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 071 Forensic Document Examination: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
Modification Ratio
a geometrical parameter used in the characterization of noncircular fiber cross-sections. Discussion—The modification ratio is the ratio in size between the outside diameter of the fiber and the diameter of the core; it can also be called “aspect ratio.”
Committee
Trace Materials
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Mold
A metal cavity containing a footwear outsole or tire tread design used to produce footwear or tires.
Committee
Footwear & Tire
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB TR 097, Terminology Used for Forensic Footwear and Tire Evidence. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2019. Source link
Term link
Mold Characteristic
Those design and size features of a particular mold.
Committee
Footwear & Tire
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB TR 097, Terminology Used for Forensic Footwear and Tire Evidence. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2019. Source link
Term link
Mold Cure
Term used by tire manufacturers to describe the vulcanization of a tire in the molding process.
Committee
Footwear & Tire
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB TR 097, Terminology Used for Forensic Footwear and Tire Evidence. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2019. Source link
Term link
Mold Parting Line
The dividing line between two halves of a shell mold, or between the segments of a segmented mold.
Committee
Footwear & Tire
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB TR 097, Terminology Used for Forensic Footwear and Tire Evidence. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2019. Source link
Term link
Molecular Ion

Ion formed by the removal of one or more electrons from a molecule to form a positive ion or the addition of one or more electrons to a molecule to form a negative ion.

Committee
Forensic Toxicology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 098 Standard for Mass Spectral Analysis in Forensic Toxicology. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2023. Source link
Term link
molecular ion

ion formed by the removal of one or more electrons from a molecule to form a positive ion or the addition of one or more electrons to a molecule to form a negative ion

Committee
Forensic Toxicology
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 208, Forensic Toxicology: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2025. Source link
Term link
Molotov Cocktail
a breakable container filled with an ignitable liquid. It can be ignited by a flaming wick or by chemical means.
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Monilethrix
a hair disorder that results in periodic nodes or beading along the length of the hair with intervening, tapering constrictions that are not medullated.
Committee
Trace Materials
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Monoaxially Oriented Polypropylene (MOPP)
an oriented polypropylene film in which the polymer has been stretched in only one direction during the manufacturing process. Tapes with such films can be torn by hand.
Committee
Trace Materials
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Monochromator
device designed to isolate narrow wavelength ranges of light from complex, broad-spectrum radiation.
Committee
Trace Materials
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Morphological

Relating to a branch of biology that deals with the form of living organisms, and with relationships between their structures.

Committee
Wildlife Forensic Biology
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASB 028 Wildlife Forensics Morphology Standards. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2019. Source link
Term link
Morphological Analysis
in facial identification, direct comparison of class and individual facial characteristics without explicit measurement.
Committee
Facial & Iris Identification
Digital Evidence
Video/Imaging Technology & Analysis
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Morphological Conformance

Conformance with the form and structure of the internal content, and verification that thedata structures exist and have correct values.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
morphological estimation

An estimation based on qualitative phenotypic traits without explicit measurement.

Committee
Forensic Anthropology
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 214, Forensic Anthropology: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2026. Source link
Term link
Morphological Tooth Numbering

Assignment of tooth numbers based upon the shape of the teeth. This is in contrast topositional tooth numbering, which assigns a tooth number based solely upon position,and does not consied the shape of the tooth. For most cases, the tooth numberassignment would be the same. Differences arise only in unusual cases.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
Morphology, Morphological
referring to size, shape, structure, and texture.
Committee
Ignitable Liquids, Explosives & Gunshot Residue
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
morphometric data

Quantitative data that incorporate both size and shape.

Committee
Forensic Anthropology
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 214, Forensic Anthropology: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2026. Source link
Term link
Most Likely Number of Individuals (MLNI)

Quantification technique to estimate the actual number of individuals based on the number of paired and unpaired bones; a modified Lincoln Index (LI).

Committee
Forensic Anthropology
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ASB Technical Report 214, Forensic Anthropology: Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO, 2026. Source link
Term link
Motivation

Mindset and physical behaviors associated with interest, willingness, and keenness to work.

Committee
Dogs & Sensors
Date Added to Lexicon
Technical Report/Other Source (Author, Title of report. Publisher, Year.)
ANSI/Academy Standards Board (ASB), Crime Scene/Death Investigation - Dogs and Sensors - Terms and Definitions. AAFS Academy Standards Board (ASB), 410 North 21st Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80904, 2017. Source link
Term link
Mottles, Mottling, Mottled or Non-Matrix Color
segregations within the soil matrix with different color or shades of color interspersed with the dominant (matrix) color. Discussion—The NCSS reserves the term mottles for color variations that cannot be associated with compositional properties of the soil, whereas color variations attributable to compositional variations are designated with distinct terms (redoximorphic features, concentrations, ped coatings, etc.). However, in a forensic examination mottling is often used to describe any color contrast within a soil aggregate, regardless of its origin.
Committee
Trace Materials
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science. ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428, 2025. Source link
Reprinted, with permission, from ASTM E1732 Standard Terminology Relating to Forensic Science, copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. A copy of the complete standard is available from ASTM International, https://www.astm.org
Term link
Mp3

An encoding format commonly used for audio recordings. It is also called MPEG-1 orMPEG-2 Audio Layer III. It has used the file extension '.mp3' since 1995.

Committee
Interdisciplinary
Date Added to Lexicon
Standard Source (Designation Number Title of Standard. Publisher, Place, Year.)
ANSI/NIST-ITL 1-2011 Update:2015 Data Format for the Interchange of Fingerprint, Facial & Other Biometric Information. ANSI/National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2011. Source link
Term link
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