track
/ˈtɹæk/ noun, verb
- noun A mark left by something that has passed along. “Follow the track of the ship.”
- noun A mark or impression left by the foot, either of man or animal. “The fox tracks were still visible in the snow.”
- noun The entire lower surface of the foot; said of birds, etc.
- noun A road or other similar beaten path. “Follow the track for a hundred metres.”
- noun Physical course; way. “Astronomers predicted the track of the comet.”
- noun A path or course laid out for a race, for exercise, etc. “The athletes ran round the track.”
- noun The direction and progress of someone or something; path.
- noun (railways) The way or rails along which a train moves. “They briefly closed the railway to remove debris found on the track.”
- verb (transitive) To observe the (measured) state of a person or object over time.
- verb (transitive) To monitor the movement of a person or object. “Agent Miles has been tracking the terrorist since Madrid.”
- verb (transitive) To match the movement or change of a person or object.
- verb (transitive or intransitive, of a camera) To travel so that a moving object remains in shot.
- verb (intransitive, chiefly of a storm) To move.
- verb (transitive) To traverse; to move across.
- verb (transitive) To tow.
- verb (intransitive) To exhibit good cognitive function.
Synonyms
trace trail wake footprint impression path road way course trajectory racetrack rails railway train tracks tracks area parcel region tract track width lead racecourse raceway cut caterpillar track caterpillar tread data track rail runway cart track
Etymology
From Middle English trak, tracke, from Old French trac (“track of horses, trail, trace”), of uncertain origin. Likely from a Germanic source, either Old Norse traðk ("a track; path; trodden spot"; > Icelandic traðk (“a track; path; tread”), Faroese traðk (“track; tracks”), Norwegian tråkke (“to trample”)) or from Middle Dutch trec, *trac, treck ("line, row, series"; > Dutch trek (“a draft; feature; trait; groove; expedition”)), German Low German Treck (“a draught; movement; passage; flow”). See tread, trek.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A mark left by something that has passed along; as, the track, or wake, of a ship; the track of a meteor; the track of a sled or a wheel.
- noun A mark or impression left by the foot, either of man or beast; trace; vestige; footprint.
- verb To follow the tracks or traces of; to pursue by following the marks of the feet; to trace; to trail; as, to track a deer in the snow.
- verb To draw along continuously, as a vessel, by a line, men or animals on shore being the motive power; to tow.
Etymology [OF.trac track of horses, mules, trace of animals; of Teutonic origin; cf.D.trek a drawing, trekken to draw, travel, march, MHG. trechen, pret. trach. Cf. Trick.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “track”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details