Track
/træk/noun
A mark or path left by a person, animal, or vehicle; or to follow and monitor something.
Did you know?English track is ultimately related to Dutch trek and German tragen through a Germanic root tied to pulling or drawing, which is why the word still carries the sense of a line made by movement.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*trag-
“To draw, pull, or drag”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*trahkō
“A trace, track, or mark left by movement”
Middle Dutch
Dutch
trek
“A pull, haul, or course of movement”
Old English
English
træc
“A track, trace, or path”
Middle English
English
trak
“A path, route, or line of travel”
Modern English
English
track
“A path, trail, or monitored course of movement”