noun / verb
polygraph
PAH-lee-graf/ˈpɑːliɡræf/
A device for assessing possible lying by recording bodily responses.
The polygraph records breathing and other bodily responses during questioning.
Etymology
The connection is “many recordings”: a polygraph records several bodily responses at once. Its use in lie detection developed from that simultaneous recording function.
In context
if I'm asking you a series of questions I'm looking at how your body deviates during those questions uh you even have sensors cuz sometimes people try to beat the polygraph
More examples
- A polygraph cannot establish on its own whether someone is lying.
- She agrees to take a polygraph before the investigation ends.
- The examiner polygraphed each volunteer using the same questions.
Forms
polygraph · polygraphs · polygraphed · polygraphing
Similar words
- lie detector
- Common name for the device, suggesting more certainty than warranted.