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 verb1 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)2archaic : to travel over : traverse3 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 of4: to lay out the trace of (a military installation)intransitive verb1: to make one's way ; especially : to follow a track or trail2: to be traceable historically

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

— trace·able \ˈtrā-sə-bəl\ adjective