Track

track
    n 1: a line or route along which something travels or moves;
         "the hurricane demolished houses in its path"; "the track
         of an animal"; "the course of the river" [syn: {path},
         {track}, {course}]
    2: evidence pointing to a possible solution; "the police are
       following a promising lead"; "the trail led straight to the
       perpetrator" [syn: {lead}, {track}, {trail}]
    3: a pair of parallel rails providing a runway for wheels
    4: a course over which races are run [syn: {racetrack},
       {racecourse}, {raceway}, {track}]
    5: a distinct selection of music from a recording or a compact
       disc; "he played the first cut on the cd"; "the title track
       of the album" [syn: {cut}, {track}]
    6: an endless metal belt on which tracked vehicles move over the
       ground [syn: {track}, {caterpillar track}, {caterpillar
       tread}]
    7: (computer science) one of the circular magnetic paths on a
       magnetic disk that serve as a guide for writing and reading
       data [syn: {track}, {data track}]
    8: a groove on a phonograph recording
    9: a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the
       railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll
       [syn: {track}, {rail}, {rails}, {runway}]
    10: any road or path affording passage especially a rough one
        [syn: {track}, {cart track}, {cartroad}]
    11: the act of participating in an athletic competition
        involving running on a track [syn: {track}, {running}]
    v 1: carry on the feet and deposit; "track mud into the house"
    2: observe or plot the moving path of something; "track a
       missile"
    3: go after with the intent to catch; "The policeman chased the
       mugger down the alley"; "the dog chased the rabbit" [syn:
       {chase}, {chase after}, {trail}, {tail}, {tag}, {give chase},
       {dog}, {go after}, {track}]
    4: travel across or pass over; "The caravan covered almost 100
       miles each day" [syn: {traverse}, {track}, {cover}, {cross},
       {pass over}, {get over}, {get across}, {cut through}, {cut
       across}]
    5: make tracks upon
    

Gauge \Gauge\, n. [Written also gage.]
   1. A measure; a standard of measure; an instrument to
      determine dimensions, distance, or capacity; a standard.
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            This plate must be a gauge to file your worm and
            groove to equal breadth by.           --Moxon.
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            There is not in our hands any fixed gauge of minds.
                                                  --I. Taylor.
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   2. Measure; dimensions; estimate.
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            The gauge and dimensions of misery, depression, and
            contempt.                             --Burke.
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   3. (Mach. & Manuf.) Any instrument for ascertaining or
      regulating the dimensions or forms of things; a templet or
      template; as, a button maker's gauge.
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   4. (Physics) Any instrument or apparatus for measuring the
      state of a phenomenon, or for ascertaining its numerical
      elements at any moment; -- usually applied to some
      particular instrument; as, a rain gauge; a steam gauge.
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   5. (Naut.)
      (a) Relative positions of two or more vessels with
          reference to the wind; as, a vessel has the weather
          gauge of another when on the windward side of it, and
          the lee gauge when on the lee side of it.
      (b) The depth to which a vessel sinks in the water.
          --Totten.
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   6. The distance between the rails of a railway.
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   Note: The standard gauge of railroads in most countries is
         four feet, eight and one half inches. Wide, or broad,
         gauge, in the United States, is six feet; in England,
         seven feet, and generally any gauge exceeding standard
         gauge. Any gauge less than standard gauge is now called
         narrow gauge. It varies from two feet to three feet six
         inches.
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   7. (Plastering) The quantity of plaster of Paris used with
      common plaster to accelerate its setting.
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   8. (Building) That part of a shingle, slate, or tile, which
      is exposed to the weather, when laid; also, one course of
      such shingles, slates, or tiles.
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   {Gauge of a carriage}, {car}, etc., the distance between the
      wheels; -- ordinarily called the {track}.

   {Gauge cock}, a stop cock used as a try cock for ascertaining
      the height of the water level in a steam boiler.

   {Gauge concussion} (Railroads), the jar caused by a car-wheel
      flange striking the edge of the rail.

   {Gauge glass}, a glass tube for a water gauge.

   {Gauge lathe}, an automatic lathe for turning a round object
      having an irregular profile, as a baluster or chair round,
      to a templet or gauge.

   {Gauge point}, the diameter of a cylinder whose altitude is
      one inch, and contents equal to that of a unit of a given
      measure; -- a term used in gauging casks, etc.

   {Gauge rod}, a graduated rod, for measuring the capacity of
      barrels, casks, etc.

   {Gauge saw}, a handsaw, with a gauge to regulate the depth of
      cut. --Knight.

   {Gauge stuff}, a stiff and compact plaster, used in making
      cornices, moldings, etc., by means of a templet.

   {Gauge wheel}, a wheel at the forward end of a plow beam, to
      determine the depth of the furrow.

   {Joiner's gauge}, an instrument used to strike a line
      parallel to the straight side of a board, etc.

   {Printer's gauge}, an instrument to regulate the length of
      the page.

   {Rain gauge}, an instrument for measuring the quantity of
      rain at any given place.

   {Salt gauge}, or {Brine gauge}, an instrument or contrivance
      for indicating the degree of saltness of water from its
      specific gravity, as in the boilers of ocean steamers.

   {Sea gauge}, an instrument for finding the depth of the sea.
      

   {Siphon gauge}, a glass siphon tube, partly filled with
      mercury, -- used to indicate pressure, as of steam, or the
      degree of rarefaction produced in the receiver of an air
      pump or other vacuum; a manometer.

   {Sliding gauge}. (Mach.)
      (a) A templet or pattern for gauging the commonly accepted
          dimensions or shape of certain parts in general use,
          as screws, railway-car axles, etc.
      (b) A gauge used only for testing other similar gauges,
          and preserved as a reference, to detect wear of the
          working gauges.
      (c) (Railroads) See Note under {Gauge}, n., 5.

   {Star gauge} (Ordnance), an instrument for measuring the
      diameter of the bore of a cannon at any point of its
      length.

   {Steam gauge}, an instrument for measuring the pressure of
      steam, as in a boiler.

   {Tide gauge}, an instrument for determining the height of the
      tides.

   {Vacuum gauge}, a species of barometer for determining the
      relative elasticities of the vapor in the condenser of a
      steam engine and the air.

   {Water gauge}.
      (a) A contrivance for indicating the height of a water
          surface, as in a steam boiler; as by a gauge cock or
          glass.
      (b) The height of the water in the boiler.

   {Wind gauge}, an instrument for measuring the force of the
      wind on any given surface; an anemometer.

   {Wire gauge}, a gauge for determining the diameter of wire or
      the thickness of sheet metal; also, a standard of size.
      See under {Wire}.
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Track \Track\, n. [OF. trac track of horses, mules, trace of
   animals; of Teutonic origin; cf.D. trek a drawing, trekken to
   draw, travel, march, MHG. trechen, pret. trach. Cf. {Trick}.]
   1. A mark left by something that has passed along; as, the
      track, or wake, of a ship; the track of a meteor; the
      track of a sled or a wheel.
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            The bright track of his fiery car.    --Shak.
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   2. A mark or impression left by the foot, either of man or
      beast; trace; vestige; footprint.
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            Far from track of men.                --Milton.
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   3. (Zool.) The entire lower surface of the foot; -- said of
      birds, etc.
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   4. A road; a beaten path.
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            Behold Torquatus the same track pursue. --Dryden.
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   5. Course; way; as, the track of a comet.
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   6. A path or course laid out for a race, for exercise, etc.
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   7. (Railroad) The permanent way; the rails.
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   8. [Perhaps a mistake for tract.] A tract or area, as of
      land. [Obs.] "Small tracks of ground." --Fuller.
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   {Track scale}, a railway scale. See under {Railway}.
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Track \Track\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {tracked}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {tracking}.]
   To follow the tracks or traces of; to pursue by following the
   marks of the feet; to trace; to trail; as, to track a deer in
   the snow.
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         It was often found impossible to track the robbers to
         their retreats among the hills and morasses.
                                                  --Macaulay.
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   2. (Naut.) To draw along continuously, as a vessel, by a
      line, men or animals on shore being the motive power; to
      tow.
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track

   <storage> The part of a {disk} which passes under one
   read/write head while the head is stationary.  The number of
   tracks on a disk surface therefore corresponds to the number
   of different radial positions of the head(s).  The collection
   of all tracks on all surfaces at a given radial position is
   known a {cylinder} and each track is divided into {sectors}.

   (1997-07-15)
    

427 Moby Thesaurus words for "track":
      L, Rugby, a reckoning of, account of, acrobatics, afterclap,
      aftercrop, aftereffect, afterglow, aftergrowth, afterimage,
      aftermath, aftertaste, agonistics, aim, air lane, alameda, alley,
      apprehend, archery ground, artery, association football,
      athletic field, athletics, attend, automobile racing, avenue,
      azimuth, backwash, badminton court, baseball field,
      basketball court, bathing, bearing, beat, beaten path,
      beaten track, bent, berm, bicycle path, billiard parlor, birthmark,
      blackhead, bleb, blemish, blister, boardwalk, boulevard,
      bowling alley, bowling green, branch, bridle path, broad hint,
      bulla, bureaucracy, bureaucratism, cable railway, capture, catch,
      catwalk, chase, check, check of, chinoiserie, cicatrix, circuit,
      class, clue, cog railway, come after, comedo, condensation trail,
      contrail, count of, course, court, cover, crack, crater, craze,
      cricket ground, croquet ground, croquet lawn, cue, current,
      daily grind, defacement, defect, deformation, deformity, diamond,
      direction, direction line, disfiguration, disfigurement, displace,
      distortion, do, dog, dog racing, drag, drift, drive, el,
      electric railway, elevated, elevated railway, emanate, embankment,
      ensue, esplanade, fairway, falcon, fastwalk, fault, feeder,
      feeder line, ferret out, field, find, flaw, flight path, flush,
      follow, follow a clue, follow after, follow the hounds, follow up,
      foot pavement, football field, footpath, footprints, footstep,
      footway, forget, form, fowl, freckle, garden path, gentle hint,
      gesture, glaciarium, glimmer, glimmering, go after, go hunting,
      golf course, golf links, grade, gravity-operated railway, gridiron,
      grind, groove, gun, gym, gymnasium, gymnastics, hawk, heading,
      helmsmanship, hemangioma, hickey, highway, hiking trail, hint,
      horse racing, horse railway, hound, hunt, hunt down, ice rink,
      implication, impress, imprint, inclination, index, indication,
      infield, inkling, innuendo, insinuation, intimation, issue,
      itinerary, jack, jacklight, jog trot, junction, keep track of,
      keep up on, keep up with, keloid, kick, kink, lay, lentigo, lie,
      light railroad, line, line of direction, line of march, links,
      look, lose, lose sight of, lose track of, main line, mall, mark,
      measure, metro, milium, mislay, misplace, mole, monitor, monorail,
      natation, navigation, needle scar, nevus, nod, nose, nose out,
      nudge, orbit, orientation, outfield, oval, overpass, oversee,
      overtake, palaestra, parade, pass over, pass through, path,
      pathway, patrol, perambulate, peregrinate, pererrate, piloting,
      pimple, piste, pit, playground, playing field, playroom, ply, pock,
      pockmark, point, polo ground, pool hall, poolroom, port-wine mark,
      port-wine stain, prado, primrose path, print, prints, promenade,
      prompt, prowl after, public walk, pursue, pustule, putting green,
      quarter, racecourse, racing, rack railway, rack-and-pinion railway,
      racket court, rail, rail line, railroad, rails, railway, range,
      range over, reconnoiter, record, red tape, red-tapeism, replace,
      result, ride to hounds, rift, rink, road, roadbed, roadway, round,
      route, routine, rugger, run, run down, run to earth, runway, rut,
      scab, scar, scent, scour, scour the country, scout, scratch,
      sea lane, sebaceous cyst, seek out, set, shadow, shikar, shoot,
      shortcut, sidetrack, sidewalk, siding, sign, signal, signs,
      skating rink, slot, smell out, sniff out, soccer, soccer field,
      split, spoor, sport, sports, squash court, squirrel cage, stalk,
      start, steerage, steering, step, still-hunt, strawberry mark,
      street, street railway, streetcar line, stretch, sty, subway,
      succeed, suggestion, supervene, supervise, suspicion, sweep,
      swimming, switchback, symptom, tabs of, tail, tally of, telltale,
      tendency, tennis court, tenor, terminal, terminus, the turf,
      thoroughfare, tour, towing path, towpath, trace, trace down,
      traces, track, track and field, track down, track of, track sports,
      tract, trade route, trail, traject, trajectory, trajet, tram,
      tramline, transit, travel over, travel through, traverse, tread,
      treadmill, trend, trestle, trolley line, trottoir, trunk,
      trunk line, tube, tumbling, turf, turnout, twist, underground,
      vapor trail, verruca, vesicle, vestige, voyage, wake, wale, walk,
      walkway, warp, wart, wash, watch, way, weal, well-worn groove,
      welt, wen, whisper, whitehead, wink