Going back over the same path or steps you took before, or going through something again carefully.
From 're-' (back) + 'trace' (to follow a path). This compound word has been used since the 1600s.
When you retrace your steps, you're literally following the same trace or mark you made—which is why bloodhounds can retrace a path by smell, revealing that 'trace' originally meant a visible mark or footprint.
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