footprint

plural footprints

1. The impression of the foot in a soft substance such as sand or snow.

   “Yes, there are two distinct sets of footprints, both wearing rubber shoes—one I think ordinary plimsolls, the other goloshes,” replied the sergeant.

   1928, Lawrence R. Bourne, chapter 13, in Well Tackled!

   Synonyms: footmark, ichnogram

2. Space required by a piece of equipment.

   This computer has a smaller footprint.

3. computingThe amount of hard drive space required for a program.
4. computingThe audit trail left by a crashed program.
5. A trace left behind that gives evidence of some action having occurred.

   1 more example

   In a recent study with a movie recommendation site […], higher message interactivity in the form of footprints of user actions, responsive suggestions in a search box, and live-chatting with an online agent led to greater perceived contingency and engagement with the site, which ultimately created more positive attitudes toward it and higher intention to recommend the site to others.

   2012, James Price Dillard, Lijiang Shen, The SAGE Handbook of Persuasion: Developments in Theory and Practice

6. figurativelyin pluralWhat a person has done before, as a profession or lifestyle, serving as a model for others.

   He is following in his father's footprints.

7. The surface space occupied by a structure.

   the footprint of a building

   2 more examples

   Heavy debris would generally travel farther downrange within the debris footprint; lighter material would generally fall near the point of intercept. Footprint lengths can vary […]

   2007, Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS): Environmental Impact

   As a commuter train, there's not really much need for a lot of luggage provision, especially as there is a lot of space within the footprint of the saloon.

   2023 July 26, Pip Dunn, “Merseyrail '777s' are OK for commuters”, in RAIL, number 988, page 60

8. A company's geographic market presence.

   The store, which is slated to open next month, increases the company's footprint in the market to 14 locations.

9. biologyThe ecological impact of a human activity, machine, etc.

   My carbon footprint is very high.

10. Availability of a satellite from the ground.

    When a satellite's footprint covers a wider area than intended, the footprint is said to “spillover” ^([sic]) into surrounding territory.

    2014, August E. Grant, Ashley J. Bennington, Communication Technology Update, page 274

11. cartographyA polygon representing the shape of an item.

    building footprint