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   Trace

   /trās/

   

   verb

   • 1. find or discover by investigation: "police are trying to trace a white van seen in the area" Similar track downfinddiscoverdetectunearthuncoverturn uphunt downdig upferret outrun to groundfollowpursuetrailshadowstalkdogfind the source offind the origins offind the roots offollow to its sourcesource
   • ▪ find or describe the origin or development of: "Bob's book traces his flying career with the Marines"
   • ▪ follow or mark the course or position of (something) with one's eye, mind, or finger: "through the binoculars, I traced the path I had taken the night before"
   • ▪ take (a particular path or route): "a tear traced a lonely path down her cheek"
   • 2. copy (a drawing, map, or design) by drawing over its lines on a superimposed piece of transparent paper: "trace a map of the world onto a large piece of paper" Similar copyreproducego overdraw overdraw the lines ofdrawdraw upsketchdraftoutlinerough outmark outdelineatemapchartrecordindicateshowdepict
   • ▪ draw (a pattern or line), especially with one's finger or toe: "she traced a pattern in the dirt with the toe of her shoe"
   • ▪ give an outline of: "the article traces out some of the connections between education, qualifications, and the labor market"

   noun

   • 1. a mark, object, or other indication of the existence or passing of something: "remove all traces of the old adhesive" Similar vestigesignmarkindicationsuggestionevidenceclueremainsremnantrelicsurvivalghostechomemorytrailtrackspoormarkstracksprintsimprintsfootprintsfootmarksfootsteps
   • ▪ a line or pattern displayed by an instrument using a moving pen or a luminous spot on a screen to show the existence or nature of something that is being investigated.
   • ▪ a physical change in the brain presumed to be caused by a process of learning or memory.
   • 2. a very small quantity, especially one too small to be accurately measured: "his body contained traces of amphetamines"
   • ▪ a slight indication or barely discernible hint of something: "just a trace of a smile" Similar bitspotspecktouchhintsuggestionsuspicionnuanceintimationtrifledropdashtingetincturestreakshredcrumbfragmentshadowwhiffbreathjotiotainformal:smidgentad
   • 3. a procedure to investigate the source of something, such as the place from which a telephone call was made, or the origin of an error in a computer program: "we've got a trace on the call"
   • 4. a line which represents the projection of a curve or surface on a plane or the intersection of a curve or surface with a plane.
   • 5. a beaten path or small road; a track. North American, West Indian
   • 6. the sum of the elements in the principle diagonal of a square matrix.

   Word Origin Middle English (first recorded as a noun in the sense ‘path that someone or something takes’): from Old French trace (noun), tracier (verb), based on Latin tractus (see tract1).

   Derivatives

   • 1. traceless adjective

   Scrabble Points: 7

   • T

     1

   • R

     1

   • A

     1

   • C

     3

   • E

     1

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