n.
Function: verb
Inflected Form: 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 \ ˌ tr ā -s ə - ' bi-l ə -t ē \ noun
– trace · able \ ' tr ā -s ə -b ə l \ adjective