Forensic science (often shortened to forensics) is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to the legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or to a civil action. The use of the term forensics in place of forensic science could be considered incorrect; the term forensic is effectively a synonym for legal or related to courts (from Latin, it means before the forum). However, it is now so closely associated with the scientific field that many dictionaries include the meaning given here.