trace definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms of trace

print, trail, relic, remains, vestige, breath, dash, ghost, hair, hint, intimation, semblance

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trace

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14 dictionary results for: trace

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

trace

1 [treys]

noun, verb, traced, trac⋅ing.

–noun

1.	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.

2.	a barely discernible indication or evidence of some quantity, quality, characteristic, expression, etc.: a trace of anger in his tone.

3.	an extremely small amount of some chemical component: a trace of copper in its composition.

4.	traces, the series of footprints left by an animal.

5.	the track left by the passage of a person, animal, or object: the trace of her skates on the ice.

6.	Meteorology. precipitation of less than 0.005 in. (0.127 mm).

7.	a trail or path, esp. through wild or open territory, made by the passage of people, animals, or vehicles.

engram.

9.	a tracing, drawing, or sketch of something.

10.	a lightly drawn line, as the record drawn by a self-registering instrument.

11.

Mathematics.

a.	the intersection of two planes, or of a plane and a surface.

b.	the sum of the elements along the principal diagonal of a square matrix.

c.	the geometric locus of an equation.

12.	the visible line or lines produced on the screen of a cathode-ray tube by the deflection of the electron beam.

13.	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.

14.	Obsolete. a footprint.

–verb (used with object)

15.	to follow the footprints, track, or traces of.

16.	to follow, make out, or determine the course or line of, esp. by going backward from the latest evidence, nearest existence, etc.: to trace one's ancestry to the Pilgrims.

17.	to follow (footprints, evidence, the history or course of something, etc.).

18.	to follow the course, development, or history of: to trace a political movement.

19.	to ascertain by investigation; find out; discover: The police were unable to trace his whereabouts.

20.	to draw (a line, outline, figure, etc.).

21.	to make a plan, diagram, or map of.

22.	to copy (a drawing, plan, etc.) by following the lines of the original on a superimposed transparent sheet.

23.	to mark or ornament with lines, figures, etc.

24.	to make an impression or imprinting of (a design, pattern, etc.).

25.	(of a self-registering instrument) to print in a curved, broken, or wavy-lined manner.

26.	to put down in writing.

–verb (used without object)

27.	to go back in history, ancestry, or origin; date back in time: Her family traces back to Paul Revere.

28.	to follow a course, trail, etc.; make one's way.

29.	(of a self-registering instrument) to print a record in a curved, broken, or wavy-lined manner.

Origin:
1250–1300; late ME tracen, ME: to make one's way, proceed < MF tracier < VL *tractiāre, deriv. of L tractus, ptp. of trahere to draw, drag; (n.) ME: orig., way, course, line of footprints < OF, deriv. of tracier

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

trace

2 [treys]

–noun

1.	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.

2.	a piece in a machine, as a bar, transferring the movement of one part to another part, being hinged to each.

—Idiom

3.	kick over the traces, to throw off restraint; become independent or defiant: He kicked over the traces and ran off to join the navy.

Origin:
1300–50; ME trais < MF, pl. of trait strap for harness, action of drawing < L tractus a drawing, dragging; see tract ¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

trace¹ (trās) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. A visible mark, such as a footprint, made or left by the passage of a person, animal, or thing.
2. Evidence or an indication of the former presence or existence of something; a vestige.
3. An extremely small amount.
4. A constituent, such as a chemical compound or element, present in quantities less than a standard limit.
5. The point at which a line, or the curve in which a surface, intersects a coordinate plane.
6. The sum of the elements of the principal diagonal of a matrix.
A barely perceivable indication; a touch: spoke with a trace of sarcasm.
1. An extremely small amount.
2. A constituent, such as a chemical compound or element, present in quantities less than a standard limit.
3. The point at which a line, or the curve in which a surface, intersects a coordinate plane.
4. The sum of the elements of the principal diagonal of a matrix.
A path or trail that has been beaten out by the passage of animals or people.
A way or route followed.
A line drawn by a recording instrument, such as a cardiograph.
Mathematics
1. The point at which a line, or the curve in which a surface, intersects a coordinate plane.
2. The sum of the elements of the principal diagonal of a matrix.
An engram.

v. traced, trac·ing, trac·es

v. tr.

To follow the course or trail of: trace a wounded deer; tracing missing persons.
To ascertain the successive stages in the development or progress of: tracing the life cycle of an insect; trace the history of a family.
To locate or discover by searching or researching evidence: trace the cause of a disease.
To draw (a line or figure); sketch; delineate.
To form (letters) with special concentration or care.
1. To copy by following lines seen through a sheet of transparent paper.
2. To follow closely (a prescribed pattern): The skater traced a figure eight.
3. To imprint (a design) by pressure with an instrument on a superimposed pattern.
4. To make a design or series of markings on (a surface) by such pressure on a pattern.
1. To imprint (a design) by pressure with an instrument on a superimposed pattern.
2. To make a design or series of markings on (a surface) by such pressure on a pattern.
To record (a variable), as on a graph.

v. intr.

To make one's way along a trail or course: traced through the files.
To have origins; be traceable: linguistic features that trace to West Africa.

adj. Occurring in extremely small amounts or in quantities less than a standard limit.

[Middle English, track, from Old French, from tracier, to make one's way, from Vulgar Latin *tractiāre, from Latin tractus, a dragging, course, from past participle of trahere, to draw.]
trace'a·bil'i·ty n., trace'a·ble adj., trace'a·bly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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trace² (trās) Pronunciation Key
n.

One of two side straps or chains connecting a harnessed draft animal to a vehicle or whiffletree.
A bar or rod, hinged at either end to another part, that transfers movement from one part of a machine to another.

[Middle English trais, from Old French, pl. of trait, a hauling, harness strap, from Latin tractus, a hauling, from past participle of trahere, to haul.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
trace (v.)

1374, "to make a plan or diagram," from O.Fr. trasser "delineate, score, trace, follow, pursue" (12c.), from V.L. *tractiare "delineate, score, trace" (cf. Sp. trazar "to trace, devise, plan out," It. tracciare "to follow by foot"), from L. tractus "track, course," lit. "a drawing out," from pp. stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (1)). Meaning "to pass over" (a path, etc.) is attested from c.1381. Sense of "draw an outline of" is first recorded 1390. Meaning "copy a drawing on a transparent sheet laid over it" is recorded from 1762.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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trace (n.1)

"track made by passage of a person or thing," c.1300, from O.Fr. trace, back-formation from tracier (see trace (v.)). Scientific sense of "indication of minute presence in some chemical compound" is from 1827. The verb in the sense of "follow by means of traces or tracks" is recorded from c.1450. Traces "vestiges" is from c.1400. Tracer "bullet whose course is made visible" is attested from 1910.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
trace (n.2)

"straps or chains by which an animal pulls a vehicle," c.1300, from earlier collective plural trays, from O.Fr. traiz, pl. of trait "strap for harnessing, act of drawing," from L. tractus "a drawing, track," from stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (1)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

trace
noun
1.	a just detectable amount; "he speaks French with a trace of an accent"
2.	an indication that something has been present; "there wasn't a trace of evidence for the claim"; "a tincture of condescension"
3.	a suggestion of some quality; "there was a touch of sarcasm in his tone"; "he detected a ghost of a smile on her face" [syn: touch]
4.	a drawing created by superimposing a semitransparent sheet of paper on the original image and copying on it the lines of the original image [syn: tracing]
5.	either of two lines that connect a horse's harness to a wagon or other vehicle or to a whiffletree
6.	a visible mark (as a footprint) left by the passage of person or animal or vehicle
verb
1.	follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress"
2.	make a mark or lines on a surface; "draw a line"; "trace the outline of a figure in the sand"
3.	to go back over again; "we retraced the route we took last summer"; "trace your path"
4.	pursue or chase relentlessly; "The hunters traced the deer into the woods"; "the detectives hounded the suspect until they found him" [syn: hound]
5.	discover traces of; "She traced the circumstances of her birth"
6.	make one's course or travel along a path; travel or pass over, around, or along; "The children traced along the edge of the dark forest"; "The women traced the pasture"
7.	copy by following the lines of the original drawing on a transparent sheet placed upon it; make a tracing of; "trace a design"; "trace a pattern"
8.	read with difficulty; "Can you decipher this letter?"; "The archeologist traced the hieroglyphs" [syn: decipher]

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: trace
Pronunciation: 'trAs
Function: noun
1 : the marking made by a recording instrument (as a kymograph)
2 : anamount of a chemical constituent not always quantitatively determinable because of minuteness
3 : ENGRAM —trace transitive verb —trace·able /-&-b&l/ adjective

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Trace

Trace\, n. (Mech.) A connecting bar or rod, pivoted at each end to the end of another piece, for transmitting motion, esp. from one plane to another; specif., such a piece in an organ-stop action to transmit motion from the trundle to the lever actuating the stop slider.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Trace

Trace\, n. [F. trais. pl. of trait. See Trait.] One of two straps, chains, or ropes of a harness, extending from the collar or breastplate to a whiffletree attached to a vehicle or thing to be drawn; a tug.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Trace

Trace\, n. [F. trace. See Trace, v. t. ]

1. A mark left by anything passing; a track; a path; a course; a footprint; a vestige; as, the trace of a carriage or sled; the trace of a deer; a sinuous trace. --Milton.

2. (Chem. & Min.) A very small quantity of an element or compound in a given substance, especially when so small that the amount is not quantitatively determined in an analysis; -- hence, in stating an analysis, often contracted to tr.

3. A mark, impression, or visible appearance of anything left when the thing itself no longer exists; remains; token; vestige.

The shady empire shall retain no trace Of war or blood, but in the sylvan chase. --Pope.

4. (Descriptive Geom. & Persp.) The intersection of a plane of projection, or an original plane, with a coordinate plane.

5. (Fort.) The ground plan of a work or works.

Syn.-Vestige; mark; token. See Vestige.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Trace

Trace\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. traced; p. pr. & vb. n. tracing.] [OF. tracier, F. tracer, from (assumed) LL. tractiare, fr.L. tractus, p. p. of trahere to draw. Cf. Abstract, Attract, Contract, Portratt, Tract, Trail, Train, Treat. ]

1. To mark out; to draw or delineate with marks; especially, to copy, as a drawing or engraving, by following the lines and marking them on a sheet superimposed, through which they appear; as, to trace a figure or an outline; a traced drawing.

Some faintly traced features or outline of the mother and the child, slowly lading into the twilight of the woods. --Hawthorne.

2. To follow by some mark that has been left by a person or thing which has preceded; to follow by footsteps, tracks, or tokens. --Cowper.

You may trace the deluge quite round the globe. --T. Burnet.

I feel thy power . . . to trace the ways Of highest agents. --Milton.

3. Hence, to follow the trace or track of.

How all the way the prince on footpace traced. --Spenser.

4. To copy; to imitate.

That servile path thou nobly dost decline, Of tracing word, and line by line. --Denham.

5. To walk over; to pass through; to traverse.

We do tracethis alley up and down. --Shak.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Trace