Forensic means used in or suitable to courts of justice. The term comes from the Latin forensis, meaning “public” and forum, meaning “court.”
Forensic may also refer to something of, relating to, or involving the scientific methods used for investigating crimes like DNA analysis, fingerprint analysis, or ballistics. This form of forensics is also sometimes termed forensic science.
[Last updated in January of 2023 by the Wex Definitions Team]