Main Entry: ²trace

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): traced; trac·ing

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French tracer, from Vulgar Latin *tractiare to drag, from Latin tractus, past participle of trahere to pull

Date: 14th century

transitive verb 1 a : delineate, sketch b : to form (as letters or figures) carefully or painstakingly c : to copy (as a drawing) by following the lines or letters as seen through a transparent superimposed sheet d : to impress or imprint (as a design or pattern) with a tracer e : to record a tracing of in the form of a curved, wavy, or broken line <trace the heart action> f : to adorn with linear ornamentation (as tracery or chasing)
2 archaic : to travel over : traverse
3 a : to follow the footprints, track, or trail of b : to follow or study out in detail or step by step <trace the history of the labor movement> c : to discover by going backward over the evidence step by step <trace your ancestry> d : to discover signs, evidence, or remains of
4 : to lay out the trace of (a military installation)intransitive verb 1 : to make one's way; especially : to follow a track or trail
2 : to be traceable historically

— trace·abil·i·ty \ˌtrā-sə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

— trace·able \ˈtrā-sə-bəl\ adjective