trace

[ treys ]

/ treɪs /

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.

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.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR trace ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR trace

3 abundance, plethora.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR trace ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM trace

un·traced, adjective

Words nearby trace

trabeculoplasty, trabeculotomy, trabs, trabzon, tracasserie, trace, trace element, trace fossil, traceable, traceless, tracer

Definition for trace (2 of 2)

trace ²

[ 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

Example sentences from the Web for trace

Throughout all the stories of loss and pain with the Chief, there was barely a trace of emotion.

The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile |Robert Ward |January 3, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Recently, when whistleblowers finally surfaced, the Home Office officials could find no trace of the dossier.

The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero |Clive Irving |November 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
He mounted a Trace Elliot amplifier on the back of the truck.

Greil Marcus Talks About Trying to Unlock Rock and Roll in 10 Songs |Allen Barra |November 17, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And it is nearly impossible to trace each knockoff to each patient or to confirm how many were affected.

Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’ |The Center for Investigative Reporting |November 3, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Earlier translations of a handful of the books, known as the SAS series in France, sank without a trace in the United States.

This Sexy Thriller Is Just the Document the Benghazi Commission Needs |Christopher Dickey |September 15, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The simple fact was, that Pope's grandfather, the highest they could trace the family, was a clergyman in Hampshire.

Homes and Haunts of the Most Eminent British Poets, Vol. I (of 2) |William Howitt
Now, we said, we will trace out the nest and make a drawing of it.

Wasps |George W. Peckham
The trace of anger was gone from Krafft's voice now and it was heavy with fatigue and defeat.

Sense of Obligation |Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
There was a trace of the old school of caricature in the large noses and thin legs which he gave his p. 49figures.

Lost Leaders |Andrew Lang
His object was to remove every trace of himself as he passed onward to the goal ahead of him—to obliterate his tracks entirely.

In the Day of Adversity |John Bloundelle-Burton

British Dictionary definitions for trace (1 of 2)

trace ¹

/ (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 learning See 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 back his ancestors trace back to the 16th century

archaic to make one's way over, through, or along (something)

Derived forms of trace

traceable, adjective traceability or traceableness, noun traceably, adverb traceless, 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)

trace ²

/ (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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

trace

noun

verb (used with object), traced, trac·ing.

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

Origin of trace

SYNONYMS FOR trace

ANTONYMS FOR trace

OTHER WORDS FROM trace

Words nearby trace

Definition for trace (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of trace

Example sentences from the Web for trace

British Dictionary definitions for trace (1 of 2)

noun

verb

Derived forms of trace

Word Origin for trace

British Dictionary definitions for trace (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for trace

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

trace

noun

verb (used with object), traced, trac·ing.

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

Origin of trace

SYNONYMS FOR trace

ANTONYMS FOR trace

OTHER WORDS FROM trace

Words nearby trace

Definition for trace (2 of 2)

noun

Origin of trace

Words related to trace

Example sentences from the Web for trace

British Dictionary definitions for trace (1 of 2)

noun

verb

Derived forms of trace

Word Origin for trace

British Dictionary definitions for trace (2 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for trace