spoor
1 of 2noun
ˈspu̇r 
ˈspȯr
plural spoor or spoors
1
: a track, a trail, a scent, or droppings especially of a wild animal
2
: a trace by which the progress of someone or something may be followed
spoor
2 of 2verb
spoored; spooring; spoors
transitive verb
: to track by a spoor
intransitive verb
: to track something by its spoor
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web
New York Times, 3 Dec. 2020 Snow had fallen less than an hour ago, and this spoor is on top of it. Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 17 Jan. 2020 The previous method used spoor (paw prints, also called pugmarks, and scat), which often led to the same animal being counted multiple times. National Geographic, 20 Apr. 2016 On top goes chaat masala, a collage of spices haunted by the smoky spoor of black salt; amchur, tart green mango powder; and asafetida, with its faint evocation of meat. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2016
Noun
On Twitter, people speak scoffingly of canceling themselves, as a joke or a pre-emptive measure, since presumably any of us could be canceled at any time, living in our glass Instagrams, leaving a spoor of digitized gaffes behind us. New York Times, 3 Dec. 2020 Snow had fallen less than an hour ago, and this spoor is on top of it. Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 17 Jan. 2020 The previous method used spoor (paw prints, also called pugmarks, and scat), which often led to the same animal being counted multiple times. National Geographic, 20 Apr. 2016 On top goes chaat masala, a collage of spices haunted by the smoky spoor of black salt; amchur, tart green mango powder; and asafetida, with its faint evocation of meat. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2016 Word History
Etymology
Noun
Afrikaans, from Dutch; akin to Old English spor footprint, spoor, spurnan to kick — more at spurn entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
1823, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1850, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
spoors
verb
as in tracks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- tracks
- trails
- hounds
- dogs
- traps
- hawks
- harpoons
- runs down
- kills
- ferrets
- courses
- pursues
- nets
- snares
- hunts
- shoots
- captures
- stalks
- runs
- drags
- chases
- culls
- poaches
- guns (for)