To follow or trace something backward to its source or origin, or in computing, to go backward through code or data to find errors.
From 'back' (Old English bæc) + 'trace' (from Old French tracier). The term gained modern prominence with computing in the late 20th century.
Backtracing in computer science is detective work—when a program crashes, programmers literally read the code backward following the 'stack trace,' a metaphor that shows how computer terminology borrows from investigation and navigation.
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