biometry
/ˌbaɪˈɒm.ə.tri/ IELTSAcademic
noun
The scientific measurement and analysis of living things, especially body features or biological data. In modern use, it often means biometric identification and related measurements.
- Biometry helps identify people by their fingerprints.
- The hospital used biometry to record patient data.
Adinary Nuance
Biometry is close to biometrics, but they are not always the same. Biometry often refers to the measurement or study of biological data in science, while biometrics usually means identity checks using body features. In everyday English, people often use biometrics for fingerprints, face scans, or security systems.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- sinh trắc học
- Spanish
- biometría
- Chinese
- 生物测量
- Japanese
- 生体計測
- Korean
- 생체 측정
Etymology
Biometry comes from Greek roots meaning 'life' and 'measure'. It entered English in the 19th century for measuring living organisms.
Common phrases
biometric databiometric identificationbiometric system
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is biometry the same as biometrics?
- Not exactly. Biometry is the measurement of living things, while biometrics often means identity verification.
- Is biometry used in everyday English?
- It is less common in daily speech. You will see it more in science and academic writing.
- Can I use biometry in business writing?
- Yes, but only when you mean biological measurement or scientific data. For security systems, biometrics is more natural.