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tracer

 - 6 dictionary results

trac⋅er

  [trey-ser]
Use tracer in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person or thing that traces.
2. a person whose business or work is the tracing of missing property, parcels, persons, etc.
3. an inquiry sent from point to point to trace a missing shipment, parcel, or the like, as in a transportation system.
4. any of various devices for tracing drawings, plans, etc.
5. Also called tracer ammunition. ammunition containing a chemical substance that causes a projectile to trail smoke or fire so as to make its path visible and indicate a target to other firers, esp. at night.
6. the chemical substance contained in such ammunition.
7. a substance, esp. a radioactive one, traced through a biological, chemical, or physical system in order to study the system.
Origin:
1535–45; trace 1 + -er 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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trac·er   (trā'sər)   
n.  

    1. One who is employed to locate missing goods or persons.

    2. An investigation or inquiry organized to trace missing goods or persons.

  2. Any of several instruments used in making tracings or in imprinting designs by tracing.

  3. A tracer bullet.

  4. An identifiable substance, such as a dye or a radioactive isotope, that is introduced into a biological or mechanical system and can be followed through the course of a process, providing information on the pattern of events in the process or on the redistribution of the parts or elements involved. Also called label.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: trac·er
Pronunciation: 'trA-s&r
Function: noun
: a substance used to trace the course of a process; specifically : alabeled element or atom that can be traced throughout chemical or biological processes by its radioactivity or its unusual isotopic mass
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

tracer trac·er (trā'sər)
n.

  1. A substance, such as a dye or a radioactive isotope, that is introduced into and followed through a biological or chemical process, by virtue of its radioactive signature, color, or other distinguishing physical property, thus providing information on the course of the process or on the components or events involved.

  2. An instrument used in dissecting out nerves and blood vessels.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
tracer   (trā'sər)  Pronunciation Key 
An identifiable substance, such as a dye or radioactive isotope, that can be followed through the course of a mechanical, chemical, or biological process. Tracers are used in radioimmunoassays and other laboratory testing. The use of radioactive iodine, for example, can give information about thyroid gland metabolism. Also called label.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

tracer

detectable substance added to a chemical, biological, or physical system to follow its process or to study distribution of the substance in the system. Tracer dyes have long been used to follow the flow of underground streams. Incendiary rounds included at intervals in a belt of machine-gun bullets make the paths of the bullets visible. In scientific work, the use of tracers has increased and, because of the sensitivity of modern methods, has helped solve many problems. Particularly effective modern methods utilize isotopic tracers. See isotopic tracer.

Learn more about tracer with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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