Arch. A curved set of lineations, without backward turn; a bow.

Bertillonage. Alphonse Bertillon’s anthropometric methods.

Bifurcation. Fork-like splitting into two branches.

Blur. A dull, smudgy imprint.

Bow. A curved lineation like a bow.

Bulb. The pad of a finger-tip.

Characteristic. Any striking feature in a pattern which gives distinctiveness.

Chirality. The principle involved in “Mirror Patterns.”

Composite. Patterns composed of various elements, such as arch, loop, or whorl.

Core. The heart or central portion of a finger-print.