Trace, n.
Etymology: [F. trace. See Trace, v. t. ]
1. A mark left by anything passing; a track; a path; a course; a footprint; a vestige; as, the trace of a carriage or sled; the trace of a deer; a sinuous trace. Milton.
2. (Chem.&Min.)
A very small quantity of an element or compound in a given substance, especially when so small that the amount is not quantitatively determined in an analysis;-hence, in stating an analysis, often contracted to tr.
3. A mark, impression, or visible appearance of anything left when the thing itself no longer exists; remains; token; vestige. The shady empire shall retain no trace Of war or blood, but in the sylvan chase. Pope.
4 more senses
4. (Descriptive Geom.&Persp.)
The intersection of a plane of projection, or an original plane, with a coordinate plane.
5. (Fort.)
The ground plan of a work or works. Syn.-Vestige; mark; token. See Vestige.
3 other Webster entries under this spelling
Trace, n.
One of two straps, chains, or ropes of a harness, extending from the collar or breastplate to a whiffletree attached to a vehicle or thing to be drawn; a tug.
Trace, v. t. [imp. & p. p. traced; p. pr. & vb. n. tracing.]
1. To mark out; to draw or delineate with marks; especially, to copy, as a drawing or engraving, by following the lines and marking them on a sheet superimposed, through which they appear; as, to trace a figure or an outline; a traced drawing. Some faintly traced features or outline of the mother and the child, slowly lading into the twilight of the woods. Hawthorne.
2. To follow by some mark that has been left by a person or thing which has preceded; to follow by footsteps, tracks, or tokens. Cowper. You may trace the deluge quite round the globe. T. Burnet. I feel thy power . . . to trace the ways Of highest agents. Milton.
3. Hence, to follow the trace or track of. How all the way the prince on footpace traced. Spenser.
4. To copy; to imitate. That servile path thou nobly dost decline, Of tracing word, and line by line. Denham.
5. To walk over; to pass through; to traverse. We do tracethis alley up and down. Shak.
Trace, v. i.
To walk; to go; to travel. [Obs.] Not wont on foot with heavy arms to trace. Spenser.
Shades of meaning
A memorial is that which is intended or fitted to bring to remembrance something that has passed away; it may be vast and stately. On the other hand, a slight token of regard may be a cherished memorial of a friend; either a concrete object or an observance may be a memorial. A vestige is always slight compared with that whose existence it recalls; as, scattered mounds containing implements, weapons, etc., are vestiges of a former civilization. A vestige is always a part of that which has passed away; a trace may be merely the mark made by something that has been present or passed by, and that is still existing, or some slight evidence of its presence or of the effect it has produced; as, traces of game were observed by the hunter. Compare characteristic.