All 6 Uses of
trace
in
Into the Wild
- There was something arresting about the youngster's eyes. Dark and emotive, they suggested a trace of exotic blood in his heritage, Greek, maybe, or Chippewa, and conveyed a vulnerability that made Westerberg want to take the kid under his wing.
p. 16..9 (definition 1)trace = small quantity or indication
- By and by the rangers traced the car's serial number to the Hertz Corporation, the vehicle's original owner; Hertz said they had sold it as a used rental car many years earlier and had no interest in reclaiming it.
p. 27..1 (definition 2) *traced = researched (to find where it came from)
- No trace of the young man was ever found.
p. 72..9 (definition 1)trace = small quantity or indication
- In 1973, Bill posted an enigmatic letter alluding vaguely to plans for an extended trip and then disappeared without a trace; to this day nobody knows what became of him.
p. 77..4 (definition 1) *trace = indication or sign (of him or what happened)
- The slender tops fairly flapped and swished in the passionate torrent, bending and swirling backward and forward, round and round, tracing indescribable combinations of vertical and horizontal curves, while I clung with muscles firm braced, like a bobolink on a reed.
p. 183..0 (definition 3) *tracing = following
- Conclusive spectrographic analysis has yet to be completed, but preliminary testing by Clausen and one of his graduate students, Edward Treadwell, indicates that the seeds definitely contains traces of an alkaloid.
p. 193..8 (definition 1)traces = indications or small quantities
Definitions:
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(1) (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."
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(2) (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
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(3) (trace as in: traced a path) to followThe exact meaning of this sense of trace depends upon its context. For example:
- "The hunters traced the deer into the woods." -- followed or tracked
- "With soft kisses, she gently traced the scar running down his cheek." -- followed
- "The path traces along the edge of the forest." -- follows
- "A single tear traced its way down her cheek." -- followed a specific path