1
a
: a minute and often barely detectable amount or indication
a trace of a smile
b
: an amount of a chemical constituent not always quantitatively determinable because of minuteness
2
a
: a mark or line left by something that has passed
also
: footprint
b
: a path, trail, or road made by the passage of animals, people, or vehicles
4
: something (such as a line) traced or drawn: such as
a
: the marking made by a recording instrument (such as a seismograph or kymograph)
b
: the ground plan of a military installation or position either on a map or on the ground
5
a
: the intersection of a line or plane with a plane
b
: the usually bright line or spot that moves across the screen of a cathode-ray tube
also
: the path taken by such a line or spot
6
archaic
: a course or path that one follows
traced; tracing
1
b
: to form (letters, figures, etc.) carefully or painstakingly
c
: to copy (something, such as a drawing) by following the lines or letters as seen through a transparent superimposed sheet
d
: to impress or imprint (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 (such as tracery or chasing)
2
a
: to follow or study out in detail or step by step
trace the history of the war
b
: to discover by going backward over the evidence step by step
trace your ancestry
c
: to discover signs, evidence, or remains of
d
: to follow the footprints, track, or trail of
3
: to lay out the trace of (a military installation)
4
archaic
: to travel over : traverse
1
: to make one's way
especially
: to follow a track or trail
2
: to be traceable historically
1
: either of two straps, chains, or lines of a harness for attaching a draft animal to something (such as a vehicle) to be drawn
3
: one or more vascular bundles supplying a leaf or twig
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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