trace
1[ treys ]
/ treɪs /
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Definition of trace
noun
verb (used with object), traced, trac·ing.
verb (used without object), traced, trac·ing.
OTHER WORDS FOR trace
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Origin of trace
1First 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, adjectiveOther 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
2First 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
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use trace in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for trace (1 of 2)
trace1
/ (treɪs) /
noun
verb
Derived forms of trace
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
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