trace

• vi. 追溯；沿路走
• vt. 追踪，查探；描绘；回溯
• n. 痕迹，踪迹；微量；[仪] 迹线；缰绳

来自古法语 tracier,寻找，追踪，来自通俗拉丁语*tractire,描绘，勾勒，来自拉丁语 trahere, 拉，拉出，来自 PIE*dhragh,拉，拉出，移动，词源同 draw,tract.引申诸相关词义。

1. a just detectable amount;

"he speaks French with a trace of an accent"

2. an indication that something has been present;

"there wasn't a trace of evidence for the claim"

"a tincture of condescension"

3. a suggestion of some quality;

"there was a touch of sarcasm in his tone"

"he detected a ghost of a smile on her face"

4. drawing created by tracing

5. either of two lines that connect a horse's harness to a wagon or other vehicle or to a whiffletree

6. a visible mark (as a footprint) left by the passage of person or animal or vehicle

trace

trace: English has two distinct words trace, but they come from the same ultimate ancestor. This was tractus (source also of English tract, tractor, treat, etc), the past participle of Latin trahere ‘pull’. This passed into Old French as trait ‘pulling, draught’, hence ‘harness-strap’, from which English gets trait [16]. Its plural trais was borrowed by English as trace ‘harness-strap’ [14]. Tractus also formed the basis of a Vulgar Latin verb *tractiāre ‘drag’, which evolved into Old French tracier ‘make one’s way’, source of the English verb trace [14].

A noun trace was also derived from tracier, and this too was acquired by English as trace [13]. At first it denoted a ‘path’ or ‘track’; the modern sense ‘visible sign’ did not develop until the 17th century.
=> attract, contract, tract, tractor, trait, treat

trace (v.)

late 14c., "follow (a course); draw a line, make an outline of something," also figurative; "ponder, investigate," from Old French tracier "look for, follow, pursue" (12c., Modern French tracer), from Vulgar Latin *tractiare "delineate, score, trace" (source also of Spanish trazar "to trace, devise, plan out," Italian tracciare "to follow by foot"), a frequentative form from Latin tractus "track, course," literally "a drawing out," from past participle stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (n.1)).

Meaning "move along, pass over" (a path, etc.) is attested from c. 1400; that of "track down, follow the trail of" is early 15c. Meaning "copy a drawing on a transparent sheet laid over it" is recorded from 1762. Related: Traced; tracing.

trace (n.1)

"track made by passage of a person or thing," c. 1300, from Old French trace "mark, imprint, tracks" (12c.), back-formation from tracier (see trace (v.)). Scientific sense of "indication of minute presence in some chemical compound" is from 1827. Traces "vestiges" is from c. 1400.

trace (n.2)

"straps or chains by which an animal pulls a vehicle," c. 1300, from earlier collective plural trays, from Old French traiz, plural of trait "strap for harnessing, act of drawing," from Latin tractus "a drawing, track," from stem of trahere "to pull, draw" (see tract (n.1)). Related: Traces.

pursue, follow, chase, hunt, trace, track, trail

这些动词均含"跟随，追踪"之意。

pursue： 指坚持不懈、毫不动摇地紧跟、追赶某人、某物或某个事业。

follow： 普遍用词，含义最广，多指跟随起引导作用的人或物，跟随的动机可以是善意的，也可能是恶意的。

chase： 指快速追赶或决心追踪，褒义贬义均可用。

hunt： 原义为"追猎、猎取"，现用于指追捕或搜寻逃犯等。

trace： 指根据线索或足迹进行跟踪。用于抽象意义时指找到某事物的根源。

track： 指沿着人或动物留下的印迹或行迹追踪。

trail： 一般指跟踪追击。

Each time this initial memory trace is replayed, it becomes even stronger.

出自-2017年6月阅读原文

The problems with the nation's cuisine can be traced back to the Second World War.

出自-2011年6月阅读原文

Each time this initial memory trace is "replayed", it becomes even stronger.

2017年6月四级真题（第一套）阅读 Section B

Many contemporary ideas about kitchen design can be traced back to another American, Christine Frederick, who set about enhancing the efficiency of the housewife.

出自-2016年6月阅读原文

Whereas language probably traces back at least 80.

出自-2014年6月阅读原文

The origins, though not the cause of Ebola-Sudan, can be traced back to a single individual in a Sudanese town.

出自-2013年6月听力原文

A group of researchers reveal scores of studies that trace the relationship between health and interaction with others.

出自-2010年6月听力原文

That presumably included much more water than the tiny trace we find blowing in the thick air today.

2019年6月六级真题（第二套）听力 Section C

While it may be impossible to prevent kids from drinking tap water that may contain trace amounts of chemicals, keeping kids away from lawns recently sprayed with chemicals and freshly dry-cleaned clothes can't hurt.

2015年12月六级真题（第一套）阅读 Section A

Here, Darwinism seems to offer justification for it all humans share common origins it seems reasonable to suppose that cultural diversity could also be traced to more constrained beginnings.

出自-2012年考研翻译原文

In Oliver Twist, e traces an orphan’s progress from the workhouse to the criminal slums of London.

出自-2017年考研阅读原文

The development of the Elizabethan drama for the next twenty-five years is of exceptional interest to students of literary history, for in this brief period we may trace the beginning, growth, blossoming, and decay of many kinds of plays, and of many great careers.

出自-2018年考研翻译原文

We finally traced him to an address in Chicago.

我们终于追查到他在芝加哥的一个地址。

牛津词典

She could trace her family tree back to the 16th century.

她能把本族家谱追溯到16世纪。

牛津词典

The leak was eventually traced to a broken seal.

最后查出泄漏是由于密封处破裂所致。

牛津词典

The police traced the call (= used special electronic equipment to find out who made the telephone call) to her ex-husband's number.

警方用追踪装置查出是她前夫的电话号码打出的电话。

牛津词典

Her book traces the town's history from Saxon times to the present day.

她的书描述的是这个市镇从撒克逊时代到现在的历史。

牛津词典

She traced a line in the sand.

她在沙地上画了一条线。

牛津词典

He traced the route on the map.

他在地图上勾画出了路线。

牛津词典

A tear traced a path down her cheek.

一滴眼泪沿着她的面颊流了下来。

牛津词典

It's exciting to discover traces of earlier civilizations.

发现以前文明的遗迹，真令人兴奋。

牛津词典

Police searched the area but found no trace of the escaped prisoners.

警方搜索了那一地区，但未发现越狱逃犯的任何踪迹。

牛津词典

Years of living in England had eliminated all trace of her American accent.

她因多年居住在英国，美国口音已荡然无存。

牛津词典

The ship had vanished without (a) trace .

那艘船消失得无影无踪。

牛津词典

The post-mortem revealed traces of poison in his stomach.

验尸发现他胃中有微量毒物。

牛津词典

She spoke without a trace of bitterness.

她说话时一点儿也不伤感。

牛津词典

The trace showed a normal heart rhythm.

描记图表明心率正常。

牛津词典

The exhibition traces the history of graphic design in America from the 19th century to the present...

展览追溯了美国从19世纪至今的平面设计历史。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

I first went there to trace my roots, visiting my mum's home island of Jamaica…

我最初到那里是为了寻根，探访我妈妈的故乡牙买加岛。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Police are anxious to trace two men seen leaving the house just before 8am...

早上将近8点时有人看到两名男子离开那所房子，警方急于找到他们。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

We are currently trying to trace the whereabouts of certain sums of money…

我们目前正试图找到某些钱款的下落。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

I traced the course of the river on the map.

我在地图上勾勒出这条河的流向。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

She learned to draw by tracing pictures out of old storybooks.

她通过描摹旧故事书上的图画学会了画画。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Wash them in cold water to remove all traces of sand...

用冷水冲洗它们以清除所有的沙子。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

He took great pains to write on his subject without a trace of sensationalism.

他尽力不带一丝哗众取宠的色彩来写作他的题材。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

The local church has traces of fifteenth-century frescoes…

当地教堂仍留有 15 世纪壁画的遗迹。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

There's been no trace of my aunt and uncle...

没有我姑姑、姑夫的踪迹。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

The Social Democratic Party has sunk without trace at these elections...

社会民主党在这些选举中已销声匿迹。

柯林斯高阶英语词典

Pop groups are like Olympic swimmers — they hit gold once, then they sink without trace.

流行乐队就像奥林匹克游泳选手——拿到一次金牌后就无声无息了。

柯林斯高阶英语词典