Definition of "trace" []

• A visible mark, such as a footprint, made or left by the passage of a person, animal, or thing. (noun)
• Evidence or an indication of the former presence or existence of something; a vestige. (noun)
• A barely perceivable indication; a touch: spoke with a trace of sarcasm. (noun)
• An extremely small amount. (noun)
• A constituent, such as a chemical compound or element, present in quantities less than a standard limit. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "LINDA FAIRSTEIN, FORMER CHIEF PROSECUTOR, NEW YORK CITY SEX CRIMES UNIT: Investigators are looking at, I would say, a tremendous amount of forensic and what we call trace evidence in this case."
• "Just before you make the final neck down remove all the lube leaving a slight trace from the neck and especially the shoulders."
• "“Will they then sell to me also my lord?” he murmured, wiping a thin trace of fermented moisture from his lower lip."