Track, n.
Etymology: [OF.trac track of horses, mules, trace of animals; of Teutonic origin; cf.D.trek a drawing, trekken to draw, travel, march, MHG. trechen, pret. trach. Cf. Trick.]
1. A mark left by something that has passed along; as, the track, or wake, of a ship; the track of a meteor; the track of a sled or a wheel. The bright track of his fiery car. Shak.
2. A mark or impression left by the foot, either of man or beast; trace; vestige; footprint. Far from track of men. Milton.
3. (Zoöl.)
The entire lower surface of the foot;-said of birds, ect.
7 more senses
4. A road; a beaten path. Behold Torquatus the same track pursue. Dryden.
5. Course; way; as, the track of a comet.
6. A path or course laid out for a race, for exercise, ect.
7. (Raolroad)
The permanent way; the rails.
8. Etym: [Perhaps a mistake for tract.]
A tract or area, as of land. [Obs.] "Small tracks of ground." Fuller. Track scale, a railway scale. See under Railway.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Track, v. t. [imp. & p. p. tracked; p. pr. & vb. n. tracking.]
To follow the tracks or traces of; to pursue by following the marks of the feet; to trace; to trail; as, to track a deer in the snow. It was often found impossible to track the robbers to their retreats among the hills and morasses. Macaulay.
2. (Naut.)
To draw along continuously, as a vessel, by a line, men or animals on shore being the motive power; to tow.
Shades of meaning
Fernald has no entry of its own for track; he lists it under trace, way.
Where he writes about it:
A road (originally a rideway) is a prepared way for traveling with horses or vehicles, always the latter unless the contrary is expressly stated; a way suitable to be traversed only by foot-passengers or by animals is called a path, bridle-path, or track; as, the roads in that country are mere bridle-paths. — from way
Track is a word of wide signification; we speak of a goat-track on a mountain-side, a railroad-track, a race-track, the track of a comet; on a traveled road the line worn by regular passing of hoofs and wheels in either direction is called the track. — from way