All 12 Uses of
trace
in
Harry Potter (#5) and the Order of the Phoenix
- She was sitting bolt upright in her chair, her fists clenched on its arms, every trace of drowsiness gone.†
Chpt 5
- Mad-Eye Moody was sniffing at a chicken-leg with what remained of his nose; evidently he could not detect any trace of poison, because he then tore a strip off it with his teeth.†
Chpt 9
- They stared avidly from Harry to Professor Umbridge, who had raised her eyes and was staring at him without a trace of a fake smile on her face.†
Chpt 12
- At the same time, the words had appeared on the back of Harrys right hand, cut into his skin as though traced there by a scalpel — yet even as he stared at the shining cut, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth.†
Chpt 13
- 'I dunno if you got through to him,' said Ron a short while later when, having checked that the coast was clear, they walked back up to the castle through the thickening snow, leaving no trace behind them due to the Obliteration Charm Hermione was performing as they went.†
Chpt 20
- Harry heard Malfoy say sharply to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice.†
Chpt 21
- Snape eyed Harry, tracing his mouth with one long, thin finger as he did so.†
Chpt 24
- Snape stared at Harry for a few moments, still tracing his mouth with his finger.†
Chpt 24
- He had drawn a Snitch and was now tracing the letters 'L.E.'.†
Chpt 28 *
- Shrieking with rage and frustration, she attempted to trace the mysterious symptoms to their source, but the students told her stubbornly they were suffering from 'Umbridge —itis'.†
Chpt 30
- Though Hermione was sobbing desperately into her hands, there was no trace of a tear.†
Chpt 32
- It seemed to me that she had not a trace of the gift herself.†
Chpt 37 *
Definitions:
-
(trace as in: found a trace of) a small quantity; or any indication or evidence ofThe exact meaning of this sense of trace depends upon its context. For example:
- a small indication that something was present -- as in "The plane disappeared somewhere over the Pacific Ocean without leaving a trace."
- a very small amount of something -- as in "The blood test showed a trace of steroids."
- any evidence of something -- as in "We did not find a trace of the gene."
-
(trace as in: trace the origin or development) to find, search, research, or keep track ofThis sense of trace usually has to do with information. It's specific meaning depends on its context. For example:
to find or search for something through investigation -- often the origin of something:
- "The police traced the call." -- found out where it originated
- "We are tracing the lost luggage" -- searching for
- "Can you trace the problem to its source?" -- find through investigation
- "She traced her family history to discover that her great-grandmother came to the United States from Lithuania when the Nazis occupied it." -- discovered something through investigation
to research or report on the development of something
- "She traced the history of the automobile in her paper." -- researched the development of something
- "Her presentation traced recent progress in alternative energy solutions." -- reported on
to monitor or keep track of the progress or development of something
- "She traces the progress of at-risk students." -- monitors information
- "I used binoculars to trace her progress up the mountain." -- monitor, follow, or track