I. ˈtrak noun
Etymology: Middle English trak, from Middle French trac
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : detectable evidence (as the wake of a ship, a line of footprints, or a wheel rut) that something has passed
b. : a path made by or as if by repeated footfalls : trail
c. : a course laid out especially for racing
d. : the parallel rails of a railroad
e.
(1) : one of a series of parallel or concentric paths along which material (as music or information) is recorded (as on a phonograph record or magnetic tape)
(2) : a group of grooves on a phonograph record containing recorded sound
(3) : material recorded especially on or as if on a track
a laugh track
instrumental track s
a bonus commentary track on a DVD
f. : a usually metal way (as a groove) serving as a guide (as for a movable lighting fixture)
2. : a footprint whether recent or fossil
the huge track of a dinosaur
3.
a. : the course along which something moves or progresses
b. : a way of life, conduct, or action
c. : one of several curricula of study to which students are assigned according to their needs or levels of ability
d. : the projection on the earth's surface of the path along which something (as a missile or an airplane) has flown
4.
a. : a sequence of events : a train of ideas : succession
b. : an awareness of a fact, progression, or condition
keep track of the costs
lose track of the time
5.
a. : the width of a wheeled vehicle from wheel to wheel and usually from the outside of the rims
b. : the tread of an automobile tire
c. : either of two endless belts on which a tracklaying vehicle travels
6. : track-and-field sports ; especially : those performed on a running track
Synonyms: see trace
• track·less ˈtrak-ləs adjective
•
- in one's tracks
- on track
II. verb
Date: 1565
transitive verb
1.
a. : to follow the tracks or traces of : trail
b. : to search for by following evidence until found
track down the source
2.
a. : to follow by vestiges : trace
b. : to observe or plot the moving path of (as a spacecraft or missile) often instrumentally
3. : to travel over : traverse
track a desert
4.
a. : to make tracks upon
b. : to carry (as mud) on the feet and deposit
5. : to keep track of (as a trend) : follow
intransitive verb
1. : travel
a comet track ing eastward
2.
a. of a phonograph needle : to follow the groove undulations of a recording
b. of a pair of wheels
(1) : to maintain a constant distance apart on the straightaway
(2) : to fit a track or rails
c. of a rear wheel of a vehicle : to follow accurately the corresponding fore wheel on a straightaway
3. : to leave tracks (as on a floor)
• track·er noun