trace

A trace of something is a very small amount, almost too small to find.

Example: We've found traces of an earlier painting underneath this one.

A trace is a line on a paper drawn by a machine that shows the ups and downs of something.

Example: The trace shows a very irregular heartbeat.

A trace is a path that tells you where something came from.

Example: We've got a trace on the call.

If you trace something, you follow information to find where it came from or where it went.

Example: Also, both the church and the farm can trace their origins back to the 1500s.

If you trace a line, you draw it.

Example: He traced a line in the sand.