tracing

[ trey-sing ]

/ ˈtreɪ sɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR tracing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of a person or thing that traces.

something that is produced by tracing.

a copy of a drawing, map, plan, etc., made by tracing on a transparent sheet placed over the original.

the record made by a self-registering instrument.

Origin of tracing

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at trace¹, -ing¹

Words nearby tracing

trachybasalt, trachycarpous, trachyspermous, trachyte, trachytic, tracing, tracing paper, tracing tape, track, track and field, track brake

Definition for tracing (2 of 2)

trace ¹

[ 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

Example sentences from the Web for tracing

What was the process like in tracing through these memories?

George Clinton on Industry ‘Mobsters’ and How Nobody Wants to Listen to a Crackhead |Curtis Stephen |November 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Fans and novices soon became swept up in the movement, tracing each work like buried treasure.

Catch Him If You Can: Reliving Banksy’s New York Invasion |Alex Suskind |November 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Turning the tide of the epidemic, he says, will require “rigorous contact, tracing, and quarantining.”

Blood Is Ebola’s Weapon and Weakness |Abby Haglage |October 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Most stars in the Milky Way have humdrum lives, tracing slow predictable orbits around the galactic center.

The Hypervelocity Star That’s Being Booted from the Galaxy |Matthew R. Francis |May 11, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

In tracing their paths, I learned being dutiful is a choice—an opportunity, not an obligation.

If You Grow Up Indian-American, College Graduation Isn’t Enough |Anita Raghavan |May 31, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
“He filled in the dips,” said Katrine tracing with a finger tip the delicate irregularities of her nose.

An Unknown Lover |Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
They were accompanied by a tracing, which is shown on the map.

Successful Exploration Through the Interior of Australia |William John Wills
The relationship is readily seen on plotting one against the other and tracing the curves.

The Preparation of Plantation Rubber |Sidney Morgan
Josiah Lethbridge looked down at the blotting-paper upon which he had been tracing grotesque figures without speaking.

The Passion for Life |Joseph Hocking
They knew he had that number and they'd have someone on it, tracing everyone who called her.

Tangle Hold |F. L. Wallace

British Dictionary definitions for tracing (1 of 3)

tracing

/ (ˈtreɪsɪŋ) /

noun

a copy made by tracing

the act of making a trace

a record made by an instrument

British Dictionary definitions for tracing (2 of 3)

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 tracing (3 of 3)

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

Medical definitions for tracing

tracing

[ trā′sĭng ]

n.

A graphic record of mechanical or electrical events that is recorded by a pointed instrument.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

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tracing

noun

Origin of tracing

Words nearby tracing

Definition for tracing (2 of 2)

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

Example sentences from the Web for tracing

British Dictionary definitions for tracing (1 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for tracing (2 of 3)

noun

verb

Derived forms of trace

Word Origin for trace

British Dictionary definitions for tracing (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for trace

Medical definitions for tracing

n.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

tracing

noun

Origin of tracing

Words nearby tracing

Definition for tracing (2 of 2)

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 related to tracing

Example sentences from the Web for tracing

British Dictionary definitions for tracing (1 of 3)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for tracing (2 of 3)

noun

verb

Derived forms of trace

Word Origin for trace

British Dictionary definitions for tracing (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for trace

Medical definitions for tracing

n.