Described or analyzed the key characteristics and background of a person or group, often based on appearance or behavior patterns.
From 'profile,' which comes from Italian 'profilo' (pro- 'forward' + filo 'thread/line'). In art, a profile was a side view; later it meant a brief description of characteristics.
Criminal profiling became famous through TV shows, but the practice predates modern psychology—Alphonse Bertillon was creating detailed criminal profiles in 1880s Paris using measurement, photography, and pattern recognition.
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