Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “trace” come from?

Trace comes from Middle English trace, from Old French trace (a mark or track), derived from Old French tracier (to track or draw), from Latin trahere (to pull or drag), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰregʰ- (to draw or move).

trace (English): An act of tracing; An enquiry sent out for a...

Definitions

  1. An act of tracing; An enquiry sent out for a...

Ancestry of “trace”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishtraceA trail, track or road; a pathway or route; One's...
2Old Frenchtracetrace
3Old Frenchtracier—
4Latintractiāre—
5Latintractusdragged, having been dragged; trailed, having...
6Latintraheresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
7LatintrahoI drag, pull; I trail; I extract, withdraw
8Proto-Italictraɣō—
9Proto-Indo-Europeantregʰ-to drag, pull?; to run, walk
10Proto-Indo-Europeandʰregʰ-to run

Words derived from “trace”

  • traced
  • traceable
  • tracer
  • tracery
  • traceability
  • untraceable
  • traceroute
  • radiotracer
  • traceback
  • untraced
  • traceried
  • traceless
  • raytraced
  • backtrace
  • tracee
  • traceological
  • tracepoint
  • traceably
  • untraceably
  • tracelessly
  • nontraced
  • tracelessness
  • untrace
  • tracest
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰregʰ- →