polygraph

English

chart recorder often used with a polygraph (1)

Thomas Jefferson's polygraph copying device (2)

Etymology

poly- +‎ -graph (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)"poly" in Greek means "many" while "graph" means "to write" or in a manner "he who wrote" in that same language.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɒliɡɹæf/, /ˈpɒliɡɹɑːf/

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æf, -ɑːf

Noun

polygraph (plural polygraphs)

1. A device which measures and records several physiological variables such as blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and skin conductivity while a series of questions is being asked to a subject, in an attempt to detect lies.

   Synonym: lie detector

2. (dated) A mechanical instrument for multiplying copies of a writing, resembling multiple pantographs.

   Synonyms: manifold writer, autopen

3. (archaic) A collection of different works, either by one or several authors.
4. (linguistics) A group of letters that represent a single phoneme.
5. Any group of letters treated as a single item.
   • 2002, Robert Churchhouse, Codes and Ciphers: Julius Caesar, the Enigma, and the Internet, page 3:

     A polygraph consists of an unspecified number of adjacent letters. A polygraph need not be recognisable as a word in a language but if we are attempting to decipher a message which is expected to be in English and we find the heptagraph MEETING it is much more promising than if we find a heptagraph such as DKRPIGX.

6. An author who writes on many subjects.
7. (mathematics) A multidimensional directed graph; a computad.

Translations

device to discern if a subject is lying — see also lie detector

• Catalan: polígraf m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 測謊器／测谎器 (caak¹ fong¹ hei³), 測謊儀／测谎仪 (caak¹ fong¹ ji⁴), 測謊機／测谎机 (caak¹ fong¹ gei¹)

  Mandarin: 測謊器／测谎器 (zh) (cèhuǎngqì), 測謊儀／测谎仪 (cèhuǎngyí), 測謊機／测谎机 (cèhuǎngjī)

• Finnish: valheenpaljastin (fi)
• French: polygraphe (fr) m, détecteur de mensonges (fr) m
• Galician: polígrafo (gl) m
• German: Lügendetektor (de) m
• Hebrew: פּוֹלִיגְרָף (polygraf) m
• Hungarian: poligráf (hu), hazugságvizsgáló
• Japanese: ポリグラフ (porigurafu), 嘘発見器 (うそはっけんき, uso-hakkenki)
• Kazakh: жалған айтуды анықтау құрылғысы (jalğan aitudy anyqtau qūrylğysy)
• Portuguese: polígrafo m
• Russian: полигра́ф (ru) m (poligráf), дете́ктор лжи (ru) m (detéktor lži)
• Spanish: polígrafo (es) m
• Turkish: poligraf

Verb

polygraph (third-person singular simple present polygraphs, present participle polygraphing, simple past and past participle polygraphed)

1. (transitive) To administer a polygraph test to.

   The FBI polygraphed the suspect but learned nothing because they already knew he was lying.

See also

• truth serum
• digraph, trigraph