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trace¹ Definition

trace (trās)

noun

  1. Obsolete a way followed or path taken
  2. a mark, footprint, etc. left by the passage of a person, animal, or thing
  3. ☆ a beaten path or trail left by the repeated passage of persons, vehicles, etc.
  4. any perceptible mark left by a past person, thing, or event; sign; evidence; vestige the traces of war
  5. a barely perceptible amount; very small quantity a trace of anger
  6. something drawn or traced, as a mark, sketch, etc.
  7. the traced record of a recording instrument
    1. the visible line or spot that moves across the face of a cathode-ray tube
    2. the path followed by this line or spot
  8. Chem. a very small amount, usually one quantitatively immeasurable
  9. Math.
    1. the intersection of a line or of a projecting plane of the line with the coordinate plane
    2. the sum of the elements on the main diagonal of a matrix
  10. Meteorol. precipitation amounting to less than 0.127 mm (0.005 in)
  11. Psychol. engram

Etymology: ME < OFr < tracier < VL *tractiare < L tractus, a drawing along, track < pp. of trahere, to draw

transitive verb traced, trac·ing

  1. Now Rare to move along, follow, or traverse (a path, route, etc.)
  2. to follow the trail or footprints of; track
    1. to follow the development, process, or history of, esp. by proceeding from the latest to the earliest evidence, etc.
    2. to determine (a source, date, etc.) by this procedure
  3. to discover or ascertain by investigating traces or vestiges of (something prehistoric, etc.)
  4. to draw, sketch, outline, etc.
  5. to ornament with tracery: used chiefly in the past participle
  6. to copy (a drawing, etc.) by following its lines on a superimposed transparent sheet
  7. to form (letters, etc.) carefully or laboriously
  8. to make or copy with a tracer
  9. to record by means of a curved, broken, or wavy line, as in a seismograph

Etymology: ME tracen < OFr tracier: see tracethe

intransitive verb

  1. to follow a path, route, development, etc.; make one's way
  2. to go back or date back (to something past)

trace¹ Related Forms

trace′·abil·ity noun or trace·able·ness trace·able adjective trace·ably adverb

trace² Definition

trace (trās)

noun

  1. either of two straps, chains, etc. connecting a draft animal's harness to the vehicle drawn
  2. a rod, pivoted at each end, that transmits motion from one moving part of a machine to another

Etymology: ME traice < OFr traiz, pl. of trait: see trait

trace² Idioms

kick over the traces

to shake off control; show insubordination or independence

trace Synonyms

trace

n.

  1. A very small quantity

    indication, fragment, dash, dab, sprinkling, tinge, nib, snick, pinch, taste, crumb, trifle, shred, drop, speck, shade, hint, shadow, nuance, iota, scintilla, particle, jot, suggestion, touch, tittle, suspicion, minimum, snippet, smidgen, smell, spot; see also bit 1.

  2. A track

    evidence, trail, footprint; see mark 1, proof 1, track 2.

kick over the traces

mutiny, revolt, break away, throw off restraint; see rebel 1.

trace Synonyms

trace

v.

  1. To track

    smell out, track down, run down, follow; see hunt 2, pursue 1, track 1.

  2. To discover by investigation

    ascertain, determine, investigate; see discover.

  3. To draw

    sketch, outline, copy; see draw 2.

trace Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • nuts: Many manufacturers make statements on their products saying for example may contain traces of nuts.
  • irony: As International Company Services observes without a trace of irony, " this can be extremely useful where extreme speed is required.
  • cocaine: The pair also had traces of cocaine and cannabis in their bodies.
  • bitterness: There was not a trace of bitterness in his eyes.
  • accent: She spoke excellent French, with a trace of an accent which lent it charm.
  • impurity: Before a new product can reach the customer it has to be exhaustively tested for tiny traces of impurities.

Object

  • origin: My principal interest at the moment is in tracing the origin of the family name.
  • evolution: Its aims are to trace the evolution of urban society from the expansion of the twelfth century to the uncertainty of the fifteenth.
  • debtor: However, " fairly and lawfully processed " is the most important to be considered by any person involved in tracing debtors.
  • ancestor: Family History Trying to trace an ancestor with a canal or river connection.
  • emergence: In particular, it traces the emergence of a strategy of mobilization, which was closely associated with leftist trends within Bolshevism.
  • ancestry: This page gives an update on my research to date on tracing back the ancestry of Neil's BEST ancestors in Kent.

Converse of object

  • remove: The lasers were brought in to remove the final traces of paint from the stones which have been standing there for 4,500 years.
  • bear: The little flesh that remained on his face was patchily browned, and bore traces of white greasepaint and rouge.
  • reveal: In the two texts presented later in the paper, they reveal strong traces of macro, meso, and micro interventions.

Adjective modifier

  • residual: Provides information on sampling and analysis of residual traces of pesticides in both imported and domestic food.
  • visible: Today in Moidart, there are visible traces all over the landscape from the period 1750 - 1850.
  • slight: All along the western wall, we find slight traces of what appear to be the buried foundations of buildings and yards.

Modifies a noun

  • mineral: Zinc is an essential trace mineral, important to help support the immune system.
  • element: Contains essential amino acids and over 70 trace elements.

Browse dictionary entries near trace

  1. Trabzon
  2. trabecula
  3. trabeated
  4. tra-
  5. tra-la
  6. très
  7. tr
  8. TQM
  9. tpk
  10. TPDDI
  1. trace element
  2. traceable
  3. traced
  4. tracer
  5. tracer bullet
  6. Traceroute and Traceroute Program
  7. tracery
  8. trache-
  9. trachea
  10. tracheal