trace

[ treys ]

/ treɪs /

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noun

a surviving mark, sign, or evidence of the former existence, influence, or action of some agent or event; vestige: traces of an advanced civilization among the ruins.

a barely discernible indication or evidence of some quantity, quality, characteristic, expression, etc.: a trace of anger in his tone.

an extremely small amount of some chemical component: a trace of copper in its composition.

traces, the series of footprints left by an animal.

the track left by the passage of a person, animal, or object: the trace of her skates on the ice.

Meteorology. precipitation of less than 0.005 inches (0.127 mm).

a trail or path, especially through wild or open territory, made by the passage of people, animals, or vehicles.

engram.

a tracing, drawing, or sketch of something.

a lightly drawn line, as the record drawn by a self-registering instrument.

Mathematics.

the intersection of two planes, or of a plane and a surface.
the sum of the elements along the principal diagonal of a square matrix.
the geometric locus of an equation.

the visible line or lines produced on the screen of a cathode-ray tube by the deflection of the electron beam.

Linguistics. (in generative grammar) a construct that is phonologically empty but serves to mark the place in the surface structure of a sentence from which a noun phrase has been moved by a transformational operation.

Obsolete. a footprint.

verb (used with object), traced, trac·ing.

to follow the footprints, track, or traces of.

to follow, make out, or determine the course or line of, especially by going backward from the latest evidence, nearest existence, etc.: to trace one's ancestry to the Pilgrims.

to follow (footprints, evidence, the history or course of something, etc.).

to follow the course, development, or history of: to trace a political movement.

to ascertain by investigation; find out; discover: The police were unable to trace his whereabouts.

to draw (a line, outline, figure, etc.).

to make a plan, diagram, or map of.

to copy (a drawing, plan, etc.) by following the lines of the original on a superimposed transparent sheet.

to mark or ornament with lines, figures, etc.

to make an impression or imprinting of (a design, pattern, etc.).

(of a self-registering instrument) to print in a curved, broken, or wavy-lined manner.

to put down in writing.

verb (used without object), traced, trac·ing.

to go back in history, ancestry, or origin; date back in time: Her family traces back to Paul Revere.

to follow a course, trail, etc.; make one's way.

(of a self-registering instrument) to print a record in a curved, broken, or wavy-lined manner.

Nearby words

trabeculoplasty, trabeculotomy, trabs, trabzon, tracasserie, trace, trace element, trace fossil, traceable, traceless, tracelessly

Origin of trace

1250–1300; late Middle English tracen, Middle English: to make one's way, proceed < Middle French tracier < Vulgar Latin *tractiāre, derivative of Latin tractus, past participle of trahere to draw, drag; (noun) Middle English: orig., way, course, line of footprints < Old French, derivative of tracier

SYNONYMS FOR trace

1 T race , vestige agree in denoting marks or signs of something, usually of the past. T race , the broader term, denotes any mark or slight indication of something past or present: a trace of ammonia in water. V estige is more limited and refers to some slight, though actual, remains of something that no longer exists: vestiges of one's former wealth.

2 hint, suggestion, taste, touch.

5 spoor, trail, record.

15 trail.

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ANTONYMS FOR trace

3 abundance, plethora.

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Related formsun·traced, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for traced

But then, if a clear line of causality could be traced, we wouldn't be talking about Palmer.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The majority of the early cases were traced back to unsanitary needles.
The Original Ebola Hunter|Abby Haglage|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But much can be traced to the expansion of regulatory power.
Dawn of the Age of Oligarchy: the Alliance between Government and the 1%|Joel Kotkin|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The historians involved have traced the cup back to King Fernando I of Spain (1037-1065).
Spain’s New ‘Holy Grail’: Jesus Couldn’t Afford That Kind of Bling|Candida Moss|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The origins of the term dyslexia can be traced back to late nineteenth century Europe.
Your Kid's Dyslexia Diagnosis Is B.S.|Julian Elliot|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then the design is traced on it, or drafted directly on it with lead.
The Invention of Lithography|Alois Senefelder
And why did you give Lvborg your pistol, when it was certain to be traced by the police?
Mr Punch's Pocket Ibsen - A Collection of Some of the Master's Best Known Dramas|F. Anstey
They were mere boys, clean of lip and chin and smooth of forehead, no wrinkles had ever traced a furrow there.
The Red Horizon|Patrick MacGill
It can readily be traced in its retreat and easily taken from the sand.
The World and Its People: Book VII|Anna B. Badlam
His mood, character, and intellectual gifts should be traced as reflected in his work.
Elementary Guide to Literary Criticism|F. V. N. Painter

British Dictionary definitions for traced (1 of 2)

trace

/ (treɪs) /

noun

a mark or other sign that something has been in a place; vestige

a tiny or scarcely detectable amount or characteristic

a footprint or other indication of the passage of an animal or person

any line drawn by a recording instrument or a record consisting of a number of such lines

something drawn, such as a tracing

mainly US a beaten track or path

the postulated alteration in the cells of the nervous system that occurs as the result of any experience or learningSee also memory trace, engram

geometry the intersection of a surface with a coordinate plane

maths the sum of the diagonal entries of a square matrix

linguistics a symbol inserted in the constituent structure of a sentence to mark the position from which a constituent has been moved in a generative process

meteorol an amount of precipitation that is too small to be measured

archaic a way taken; route

verb

(tr) to follow, discover, or ascertain the course or development of (something)to trace the history of China

(tr) to track down and find, as by following a trail

to copy (a design, map, etc) by drawing over the lines visible through a superimposed sheet of transparent paper or other material

(tr often foll by out)

to draw or delineate a plan or diagram ofshe spent hours tracing the models one at a time
to outline or sketch (an idea, policy, etc)he traced out his scheme for the robbery

(tr) to decorate with tracery

(tr) to imprint (a design) on cloth, etc

(usually foll by back) to follow or be followed to source; date backhis ancestors trace back to the 16th century

archaic to make one's way over, through, or along (something)

Derived Forms

traceable, adjectivetraceability or traceableness, nountraceably, adverbtraceless, adjective

tracelessly, adverb

Word Origin for trace

C13: from French tracier, from Vulgar Latin tractiāre (unattested) to drag, from Latin tractus, from trahere to drag

British Dictionary definitions for traced (2 of 2)

trace

/ (treɪs) /

noun

either of the two side straps that connect a horse's harness to the swingletree

angling a length of nylon or, formerly, gut attaching a hook or fly to a line

kick over the traces to escape or defy control

Word Origin for trace

C14 trais, from Old French trait, ultimately from Latin trahere to drag

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for traced (1 of 3)

trace

late 14c., "to make a plan or diagram," from Old French trasser "delineate, score, trace, follow, pursue" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *tractiare "delineate, score, trace" (cf. Spanish trazar "to trace, devise, plan out," Italian tracciare "to follow by foot"), from Latin tractus "track, course," literally "a drawing out," from past participle stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (n.1)).

Meaning "to pass over" (a path, etc.) is attested from late 14c.; that of "track down, follow the trail of" is early 15c., from trace (n.1). Sense of "draw an outline of" is first recorded late 14c. Meaning "copy a drawing on a transparent sheet laid over it" is recorded from 1762. Related: Traced; tracing.

Word Origin and History for traced (1 of 3)

trace

n.2

"straps or chains by which an animal pulls a vehicle," c.1300, from earlier collective plural trays, from Old French traiz, plural of trait "strap for harnessing, act of drawing," from Latin tractus "a drawing, track," from stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (1)).

Word Origin and History for traced (2 of 3)

trace

n.1

"track made by passage of a person or thing," mid-13c., from Old French trace, back-formation from tracier (see trace (v.)). Scientific sense of "indication of minute presence in some chemical compound" is from 1827. Traces "vestiges" is from c.1400.

trace

noun

verb (used with object), traced, trac·ing.

verb (used without object), traced, trac·ing.

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trace

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trace

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Word Origin and History for traced (1 of 3)

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trace

.css-1gxch3{color:#1a1a1a;font-size:18px;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;}noun

verb (used without object), traced, trac·ing.

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trace

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trace

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Word Origin and History for traced (1 of 3)

trace

Word Origin and History for traced (2 of 3)

trace

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British Dictionary definitions for traced (1 of 2)