downtrace

D2O1W4N1T1R1A1C3E1

noun

The process of taking scientific samples as a probe is moving downward.

Scrabble 15

Meanings

noundowntrace (plural downtraces)

plural downtraces

  1. The process of taking scientific samples as a probe is moving downward.

    Theorizing that "noise" superimposed upon the downtrace might be the result of turbulent eddies or cavitation in the wake of the probe, we inverted the probe in its mount.

    1971, Marine Technology Society Journal - Volume 5, page 22
    2 more examples

    That the results are fairly accurate is shown by the uptrace and the downtrace being very similar. Still, when two instruments have been attached to the same balloon, the results are not absolutely in accord, either as regards temperature or pressure.

    1911, Quarterly Report of the Meteorological Society of Scottland

    In using a command sampler there is a problem with whether to sample on the downtrace (shallow samples are taken down to deeper levels after collection and then brought back to the surface).

    1973, National Research Council (U.S.). Ocean Science Committee, Continuously Sampled Oceanographic Data
  2. governmentThe set of subordinate units lower in the chain of command from a specified unit.

    The 228th Signal Brigade (HHC), South Carolina National Guard, part of the 335th's command downtrace, was also not mobilized or deployed, despite its mission to provide area signal support to Third Army/ARCENT.

    1992, JP Bird, Crossed Signals on the Battlefield
    3 more examples

    Shouldn't each CAPSTONE general officer command (GOCOM) be made a miniArmy Reserve command (ARCOM), with direct responsibility for training its USAR and active component downtrace (contingency chain of command)?

    1988, Military Review, page 89

    It is a six-phase, joint command post exercise for theater agencies, theater army units, a theater army area command and corps support command and their downtraces, corps troops, and other services equivalents.

    1993, Army Logistician, page 28

    With the better understaing of the Iraqi Brigade Commander's approach to battle-planning, the Irish MiTT worked at getting a general concept of the Commander's plan early in the planning process to share with the downtrace units so the Battalions would have greater opportunity to plan, rehearse, and resource their battle plans.

    2010, Voris Weldon McBurnette, The 108th Training Command, →ISBN
  3. computerThe subtree of a tree structure that is determined by an attribute of a parent node.

    The query algorithm mainly includes uptrace and downtrace methods.

    2003, J Wu, Q Ding, “ATRAM-An Analysis Tool of Requirement and Architecture Management”, in Systems, Man and Cybernetics
    3 more examples

    B2 processing occurs when the subtree is in the downtrace of an attribute in X.

    1971, Jack Minker, Proceedingsof the Symposium on Information Storage and Retrieval, page 141

    ΞA and ΞB are two downtraces […] from the two graphs. (Ξ_A ∩ Ξ_B) is the intersection between the two downtraces.

    2010, Dirk Ifenthaler, Pablo Pirnay-Dummer, Norbert M. Seel, Computer-Based Diagnostics and Systematic Analysis of Knowledge, →ISBN

    For every single trace there is a downtrace with each individual degree being between 2 < |fif| < |v|, such that all possible combinations beneath the previously entailed degrees are generated by the function Ξ.

    2010, Pablo Pirnay-Dummer, “Complete structure comparison”, in Computer-based diagnostics and systematic analysis of knowledge

Origin

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

downtrace. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/downtrace

MLA

“downtrace.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/downtrace. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “downtrace,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/downtrace.

Source: downtrace on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.