Scientific terminology

Anthropometry: Dealing with measurement of the human body.

Apex: see Triradius

Axial triradius: see Triradius

Bifurcating ridge (bifurcation): The point at which one friction ridge divides into two friction ridges.

Bracelet creases: The creases located at the base of the palm. Usually where the friction skin ends.

Branching: Friction ridge bifurcation; divergence of a friction ridge path.

Bridge: A connecting friction ridge between and at generally right angles to parallel running ridges.

Delta: see Triradius

Dermatoglyphics: (study of) dermal patterns (such as finger prints)

Dorsal side: back of the hand.

Epidermal Ridges:See Ridge.

Fingerprint:A fingerprint is the unique pattern that is created by the friction ridges on the fingers. This pattern may be transferred from the fingers to other items in the form of a known print, a latent print or a patent print. See also types of fingerprints and fingerprint statistics.

Flexion crease: the permanent and unique creases or lines of the hand. See also: Transverse crease.

Forking ridge: See Bifurcating ridge.

Furrows:Valleys or depressions between the friction ridges.

Galton, Sir Francis (Feb. 16, 1822-Jan 17, 1911): Early fingerprint pioneer. Credited with naming the original details found in a fingerprint.

Hallucal: A region which corresponds to the distal thenar and first interdigital region on the palm.

Hypothenar Area: Ulnar side of the palm between the little finger and wrist.

Hypothenar crease: horizontal crease in hypothenar area.

Hypothenar eminence: The area opposite the thenar eminance, ulnar side of the hand (palmistry: Mount of Luna or Moon).

Interdigital area: Area immediately below or between the fingers (digits).

Interdigital loop: A loop located between two fingers, most commonly between the ring and little finger, or ring and middle finger.

Lateral and Medial: radial and ulnar respectively

Palmar: palm side of the hand.

Papillary ridges: see ridges

Percussion: ulna side of palm

Phalange: distal phalange is the tip section of the finger, medial the middle section and proximal the section close to the palm.

Physiognomy: body (esp. face) reading

Polydactyly: existence of more than 5 fingers.

Quadrangle: The area between the Heart and Head lines

Radial/Ulna (referring to the radius and ulna bones of the forearm)

The radial side of the palm is the thumb side.
The ulnar side of the palm is the little finger side.

Radial/Ulnar loop

Radial Longitudinal Crease

Rascette: One of the creases of the wrist.

Ridges: (friction ridges) raised 'lines' in the skin, i.e. the ones that form a fingerprint.
They have the following characteristics:
Ending ridge / Fork or birfurcation / Island / Dot / Bridge / Spur / Double birfurcation / Trifurcation / Short ridge

Secondary Ridges: Ridges on the bottom of the epidermis under the surface furrows. The term 'secondary ridge' can be used to describe many different areas of the skin. It is not important to discern whether one is right or wrong, just to understand the area that is being referred to. How this term is used will also effect how the terms 'primary ridges' and 'papillary ridges' are used.
1) Hale: Ridges at bottom of the epidermis that correspond to the surface furrows.
2) Surface ridges may be referred to as secondary ridges in the respect that the ridges at the dermal-epidermal junction grow first, considered as primary ridges, and the surface ridges appear later. It appears to be interpreted this way in the U.S. vs. Carlos Ivan Llera Plaza opinion dated 1/7/2002.
3) In "Bloom and Fawcett's Concise Histology" primary ridges and secondary ridges refer to the ridges of the dermis and the ridges in the epidermis that Hale refers to are considered epidermal grooves.

Simian line: The 'true' simian line is a single line that completely crosses the palm, and replaces the lower and upper transverse creases. Other variations include a lower and/or upper transverse crease as a branch of the simian line.  

Subdigital triradii: see Triradius

Sydney line: A lower tranverse crease that completely crosses the palm (term invented by Purvis-Smith and Menser in 1968, while doing research in Sydney, Australia).

Syndactyly: Refers to webbed fingers. Side-to-side fusion of digits.

Tension crease: Usually in crisscrossing patterns or at right angles to the ridges. These secondary creases are known as tension creases and are not normally found on the hands at birth.

Thenar Area / Eminence: The large cushion area located at the base of the thumb, encircled by the thenar crease.

Thenar crease: The crease/line (usually circular) around the thumb, also known as the 'line of life'.

Thick skin: Thick skin refers to skin on the palms of the hands, fingertips or the soles of the feet. This skin lacks follicles, sebaceous glands and arrector pili muscles.

Transverse crease

• The upper transverse crease is the crease below the fingers, also known as the line of heart.
• The lower transverse crease is the crease crossing the center of the palm, starting on the thumb side, also known as the line of head.

Triradius: Dermal ridges that form an apex (or 'delta') as seen in the picture, found underneath the fingers and above the wrist. The axial triradius is the one nearest to the wrist, sometimes also found higher up in the palm. The subdigital triradii are the four (sometimes not all four are present) triradii found at the base of the fingers.

Ulna: see Radial/Ulna

Volar pads: Palmar and plantar fetal tissue growth that affects friction ridge skin development and patterns.

White lines: Usually refers to markings or fine lines that show up on fingerprints. More generally, they are any creases on the hands which are not formed with other friction ridge detail. They are not permanent and can shrink and grow, and their origin is unknown.

Handreading terminology

Active Mars: mount of Lower Mars

Astrological references:

Jupiter - index finger
Saturn - middle finger
Apollo - ring finger
Mercury - little finger
Venus - ball of thumb

Luna (moon) - area opposite of Venus, under the little finger
Lower Mars - above the Mount of Venus
Upper Mars - above the Mount of Luna
Plain of Mars - the center of the palm

Pluto - at the base of the wrist beneath the Mount of Luna
Neptune - area between the Mount of Luna and the Mount of Venus

Bars: small lines perpendicularly crossing main lines (thought to 'bar' the flow of energy).

Beau's lines: horizontal ridges on the nails..

Cartopedy: feet reading

Ch(e)irognomy: study of hands to read character

Ch(e)iromancy: reading past, present and future

Ch(e)irosophy: the science of palmreading

Elements: the four basic elements are: air/water/fire/earth.
These elements are associated with handtypes/shapes, fingers, and lines.
> Air: air, little finger
   = intellect, communication, reason
> Water: heartline, index finger
   = emotion, intuition, mysticism
> Earth: lifeline, fate/career line (also Fire), middle finger
   = practicality, stability, materialism, realism
> Fire: line of Mars, Apollo line, ring finger
   = energy, passion, inspiration, idealism

Girdle of Venus: A curving line found above the Heart line that runs between the index finger and the pinky.

Mee's lines: horizontal white lines on the nail that do not cause an indent (see also Beau's lines)

Moons: White/light grey half circles found at the base of the nail.

Passive Mars: mount of Upper Mars

Seasons: (Chinese palmistry)

Autumn - mounts of Upper Mars and Luna
Winter - mount of Neptune (between Luna and Venus)
Spring - mount of Venus
Summer - mounts of Saturn and Apollo

Solomon's ring(s): line curving around the index finger

Simian line: One single line completely crossing the palm that assumes the role of both the Head and the Heart line. See also the scientific definition.

Sydney line: A headline ('airline') that completely crosses the palm.

Tassel: a line that is frayed in the end, like a frayed rope, the lines extending downwards.

Trident: a line that ends as 3 or more branches

Via lascivia: a line travelling from the radial side of the wrist towards the mount of Luna.

Yin / Yang: (Chinese palmistry)

Yin is female, indicating the left hand and the mount of the moon (Luna) - female qualities (also 'earth' and 'cold')
Yang is male, indicating the right hand and the mount of the sun (Apollo) and Mars - male qualities (also 'heavens' and 'hot')