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

Definition for traces (2 of 2)

trace

[ 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

1300–50; Middle English trais < Middle French, plural of trait strap for harness, action of drawing < Latin tractus a drawing, dragging; see tract¹

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

Examples from the Web for traces

Miller traces his irreverent and subversive streak to a psychedelic experience during the particularly sweltering summer of 1991.
DJ Spooky Wants You To Question Everything You Know About Music, Technology, and Philosophy|Oliver Jones|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By the next day, more than 500 posts, and all traces of Wonderland, had been deleted.
School Shooters Love This Pickup Artist Website|Brandy Zadrozny|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He traces the history of ideas with skill and care, and he avoids the smug certainty of many contemporary science writers.
Why Aristotle Deserves A Posthumous Nobel|Nick Romeo|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Meerson traces this scarcity of one-man performers back to a culture of collectivism that predates even the Communist revolution.
Igor Meerson, Russia’s Funniest Export|Nico Hines|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Traces of these mishaps began popping up during her Bangerz tour, which began early this year and ends in October.
Miley Cyrus Channels Her Bad Year Into Rave-Kid Art|Justin Jones|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The most common plan is to lead two traces, so to speak, into one, as shown in the above illustration.
Shifts and Expedients of Camp Life, Travel & Exploration|W. B. Lord
The traces are counted out on a sloping glass desk, and the time of flight of a projectile between two or more screens is found.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3|Various
I found her lying very quietly, with the traces of tears still on her face; she addressed me quite gently.
Uncle Max|Rosa Nouchette Carey
I returned to —, hiding before my employers the traces of my madness, and letting them wonder how grief had changed me.
My Friend Smith|Talbot Baines Reed
I returned to the house and the garden, where traces were left to speak of her at every turn.
The Woman in White|Wilkie Collins

British Dictionary definitions for traces (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 traces (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 traces (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 traces (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 traces (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.

Idioms and Phrases with traces

traces

see kick over the traces.

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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British Dictionary definitions for traces (2 of 2)

trace

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trace

Word Origin and History for traces (1 of 3)

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trace

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

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trace

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trace

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trace

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trace

Word Origin and History for traces (1 of 3)

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Word Origin and History for traces (2 of 3)

trace

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traces

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Definition for traces (2 of 2)