Retraces

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To move back along the same route previously taken ; to make an exact copy of something
2. To follow the same trail again in reverse direction ; to produce a precise reproduction or duplicate
3. To revisit a path or route by going backward ; to create an identical or very close copy of an original

Etymology: "Retraces" is the third-person singular present form of "retrace," so the story belongs to the verb itself. "Retrace" comes from French "retracer," which combines the prefix "re-" (again, back) with "tracer," to trace or draw lines. The root idea is literal drawing: to trace a line over a pencilled outline, or to follow marks already laid down. Its path into English ran through Middle French "retracier," the same verb in an earlier spelling. The meaning moved from the artist's pen to the walker's route. To retrace a path is to go back along the lines already drawn on the ground, the same tracks in reverse. The second sense, to produce a precise copy, keeps the drawing image intact: a tracing reproduces a model line for line. Both senses grow from the same act of following a line that someone else has already made.

Synonyms: follows, revisits, retracks, repeats, recounts

Antonyms: forgets, ignores, abandon, overlooks, disregards