trace

[ treys ]

/ treɪs /

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See synonyms for: trace / traced / traces / tracing on Thesaurus.com

Definition of trace

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 inch (0.127 millimeter).

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR trace

2 hint, suggestion, taste, touch.

5 trail, spoor; record.

15 track, trail.

See synonyms for trace on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR trace

2 abundance, excess, plethora.

See antonyms for trace on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of trace

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English verb trace(n), trase(n) “to make one's way, proceed, move along a set course,” from Old French tra(i)cier, traser, from unattested Vulgar Latin tractiāre, derivative of Latin tractus, past participle of trahere “to draw, drag”; Middle English noun trace tras(e) “way, course, line of footprints, track, trail,” from Old French, derivative of tracier

synonym study for trace

1. Trace, vestige agree in denoting marks or signs of something, usually of the past. Trace , the broader term, denotes any mark or slight indication of something past or present: a trace of ammonia in water. Vestige is more limited and refers to some slight, though actual, remains of something that no longer exists: vestiges of one's former wealth.

OTHER WORDS FROM trace

un·traced, adjective

Other definitions for trace (2 of 2)

trace²

[ treys ]

/ treɪs /

noun

either of the two straps, ropes, or chains by which a carriage, wagon, or the like is drawn by a harnessed horse or other draft animal.

a piece in a machine, as a bar, transferring the movement of one part to another part, being hinged to each.

Origin of trace

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English trais(e), traice, from Old French trais, tres, plural of trait “harness strap, action of drawing,” from Latin tractus “a drawing, dragging”; see origin at tract¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use trace in a sentence

SpaceX investigated the issue and found that it was due to some trace amounts of a masking material used to protect engine components making their way into fuel lines.
SpaceX successfully launches GPS III space vehicle for the US Space Force|Darrell Etherington|November 5, 2020|TechCrunch
Its pulsating motion effectively removes traces of makeup, dirt, and oil better than fingertips.
Gift Guide: The best beauty and wellness presents of 2020|Rachel King|November 1, 2020|Fortune
After a few hard winters, most of the settlers fled and left almost no trace.
Autumn in the Adirondacks is a mountain do|Debra Bruno|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
“The cold traps in these permanent shadows are sort of like garbage collectors,” Haynes says, and every time someone lands on the Moon these pockets become slightly contaminated with traces of human presence like rocket fuel.
New 3D moon models show it might hold up to 15,000 miles of frozen water|Kat Eschner|October 27, 2020|Popular-Science

All sorts of things have happened that have left sort of smell traces.
Forget Everything You Know About Your Dog (Ep. 436)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 22, 2020|Freakonomics
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 ProPublica traced the photograph back to a stock photo company called StockTrek Images.
Exclusive: ‘Pro-Troop’ Charity Pays Off Tea Party Cronies Instead|Kim Barker|August 5, 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
Idly his pen traced upon the paper in front of him a large X, the sign of the unknown quantity.
Uncanny Tales|Various
The general traced two lines on the dusty earth, about eight feet apart.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The execution is such that the drawing of the gown and the lines of the face seem to have been traced by an engraver's tool.
Bastien Lepage|Fr. Crastre
There he had been watching his movements, and traced him, with dreadful suspicion, to the house of Vanboeren.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
The sound holes may have been traced down and even the upper and lower circular holes bored.
Antonio Stradivari|Horace William Petherick

British Dictionary definitions for trace (1 of 2)

trace¹

/ (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 of trace

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 trace (2 of 2)

trace²

/ (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

trace

Definition of trace

OTHER WORDS FOR trace

OPPOSITES FOR trace

Origin of trace

synonym study for trace

OTHER WORDS FROM trace

Other definitions for trace (2 of 2)

Origin of trace

Words related to trace

How to use trace in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for trace (1 of 2)

Derived forms of trace

Word Origin for trace

British Dictionary definitions for trace (2 of 2)

Word Origin for trace