trace
part of speech
verb (trace, traces, traced, tracing); noun (a trace, traces)
meaning for a pupil
1) To trace a picture is to copy it by drawing over its lines through thin paper. tree →
2) To trace something is to find where it came from or where it went by following signs. tree →
3) A trace is a very small amount or mark left behind. tree →
4) To trace a line or shape is to draw it or follow it with your finger. tree →
sense in the lessons
Interpretation: In the Sefer Yetzirah the letters are gates, and each word is seen as a path traced through them. In Ezekiel, the prophet is told to trace a picture of Jerusalem on a tile, a sign of the coming siege. In the primary lessons: In art and handwriting lessons pupils trace letters and shapes. In science a trace of something is a tiny amount (trace elements, trace of blood). In stories detectives trace a phone call, a person or a clue; someone may vanish «without a trace». Phrases: trace back, trace over, trace paper, without a trace, keep track (not «keep trace»).
examples
- But Isaac Myer states that there are un- doubted traces of pointing in Hebrew MSS. of the second century. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) tree →
- In this way every word of the Hebrew language traces a path through the ‘gates’ from one letter to the next. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
- Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and trace upon it a city, even Jerusalem; (Prophets EZK.4.1, JPS 1917) tree →
- Trace the map onto the thin paper. tree →
- Little children trace the dotted letters to learn to write. tree →
- The police traced the stolen bike to a shop in town. tree →
- The boat disappeared without a trace. tree →
- There was a trace of chocolate on his chin. tree →
- Trace the path through the maze with your finger. tree →
- We traced our family back to Ireland. tree →
- The water had a trace of salt in it. tree →
- Not a trace of him was to be found! tree →
note
Verb is regular (traced). Noun is countable (a trace, traces). «A trace of» means a very small amount, not none. Do not confuse with «track» (a path or footprints) — you «keep track», not «keep trace». Tracing a picture is copying; in a test of your own drawing it is not your own work.
In the corpora
- An art teacher wants to see your own drawing, wobbly lines and all, not a traced copy.
- Trackways show some sauropods walked in groups, with young ones in the middle; footprints are trace fossils that show behaviour.
- The rule of the outdoors is «Leave no trace»: leave a place as you found it, or better.
- Many schools are nut-free, because tiny traces of nut can harm a child with a severe allergy.
- Real businesses never ask to be paid with gift cards; scammers like them because they cannot be traced or refunded.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «trace» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.