polygraph

n. a machine that records changes in your heart rate and breathing to see if you are lying.

n. an instrument that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, and respiration while a subject is asked a series of questions.

“The police asked the suspect to take a polygraph to prove he was innocent.”

“The defense attorney argued that polygraph results are often inadmissible in court due to their potential for inaccuracy and high error rates.”

n. a group of letters that make one single sound.

n. a sequence of letters that represent a single phoneme.

“The letters 'sh' are a polygraph because they make one sound together.”

“In historical linguistics, the evolution of a polygraph can indicate a shift in how a language maps its phonology to its orthography.”

Technical

n. an old machine used to make many copies of a letter at the same time.

n. a mechanical instrument used for producing multiple copies of a manuscript simultaneously.

“Before modern printers, people used a polygraph to copy documents by hand.”

“Thomas Jefferson famously used a polygraph to ensure he kept a duplicate of every letter he sent from Monticello.”

Archaic

v. to test someone using a lie detector machine.

v. to administer a polygraph examination to a subject. Transitive use requiring a direct object.

“The agency decided to polygraph all new employees during the hiring process.”

“Federal regulations strictly limit the circumstances under which a private employer may polygraph a prospective hire.”

Formal