Entry Word: trace

Function: noun

Meaning: 1 a mark or series of marks left on a surface by something that has passed along it <the wolf came and went without leaving a trace on the hard, dry ground> — see track 1
2 a passage cleared for public vehicular travel <an old trace that dates back to the days of the covered wagon> — see way 1
3 a rough course or way formed by or as if by repeated footsteps <stay on the trace, or youʼll get lost in these thick woods> — see trail 1
4 a tiny often physical indication of something lost or vanished <a ship that appears to have vanished without a trace on the high seas> — see vestige
5 a very small amount <doctors detected only a trace of bacteria in the blood sample but put the patient on antibiotics just in case> — see particle 1