tracer Hear it!

tracer definition

tracer (trāsər)

noun

  1. a person or thing that traces; specif.,
    1. a person whose work is tracing drawings, designs, etc. on transparent paper
    2. a person whose work is tracing lost or missing articles, persons, etc.
    3. an instrument for tracing designs on cloth, etc.
  2. ☆ an inquiry sent out for a letter, package, etc. that is missing in transport
  3. ammunition that traces its own course in the air with a trail of smoke or fire, so as to facilitate adjustment of the aim
  4. a substance, usually a radioactive isotope, used to follow a chemical process or a complex sequence of biochemical reactions (as in an animal body), to locate diseased cells and tissues, to determine physical properties, etc.
  5. a thread of contrasting color woven into or stamped on wire insulation for identification and for aid in tracing a circuit

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.