trace

/ˈtrās/

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from tracer to trace

noun

  1. a minute and often barely detectable amount or indication

  2. an amount of a chemical constituent not always quantitatively determinable because of minuteness

  3. a mark or line left by something that has passed; also : footprint

a trace of a smile

trace vestige track mean a perceptible sign made by something that has passed. trace may suggest any line, mark, or discernible effect. vestige applies to a tangible reminder such as a fragment or remnant of what is past and gone.

verb

  1. delineate, sketch

  2. to form (letters, figures, etc.) carefully or painstakingly

  3. to copy (something, such as a drawing) by following the lines or letters as seen through a transparent superimposed sheet

noun

  1. either of two straps, chains, or lines of a harness for attaching a draft animal to something (such as a vehicle) to be drawn

  2. leader

  3. one or more vascular bundles supplying a leaf or twig