a belief that can guide behavior; "the architect has a theory that more is less"; "they killed him on the theory that dead men tell no tales"
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena; "theories can incorporate facts and laws and tested hypotheses"; "true in fact and theory"
an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading; "he hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity"; "he tried to give his falsehood the gloss of moral sanction"; "the situation soon took on a different color"
either of two lines that connect a horse's harness to a wagon or other vehicle or to a whiffletree
an indication that something has been present; "there wasn't a trace of evidence for the claim"; "a tincture of condescension"
a visible mark (as a footprint) left by the passage of person or animal or vehicle
a just detectable amount; "he speaks French with a trace of an accent"
follow, discover, or ascertain the course of development of something; "We must follow closely the economic development is Cuba" ; "trace the student's progress"
make a mark or lines on a surface; "draw a line"; "trace the outline of a figure in the sand"
copy by following the lines of the original drawing on a transparent sheet placed upon it; make a tracing of; "trace a design"; "trace a pattern"
make one's course or travel along a path; travel or pass over, around, or along; "The children traced along the edge of the dark forest"; "The women traced the pasture"
to go back over again; "we retraced the route we took last summer"; "trace your path"
discover traces of; "She traced the circumstances of her birth"
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface; "they showed us the pictures of their wedding"; "a movie is a series of images projected so rapidly that the eye integrates them"
a typical example of some state or quality; "the very picture of a modern general"; "she was the picture of despair"
illustrations used to decorate or explain a text; "the dictionary had many pictures"
a situation treated as an observable object; "the political picture is favorable"; "the religious scene in England has changed in the last century"
show in, or as in, a picture; "This scene depicts country life"; "the face of the child is rendered with much tenderness in this painting"
the process of ionizing; the formation of ions by separating atoms or molecules or radicals or by adding or subtracting electrons from atoms by strong electric fields in a gas
the condition of being dissociated into ions (as by heat or radiation or chemical reaction or electrical discharge); "the ionization of a gas"
the act of measuring with meters or similar instruments; "he has a job meter reading for the gas company"
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message; "he enjoys reading books"
a datum about some physical state that is presented to a user by a meter or similar instrument; "he could not believe the meter reading"; "the barometer gave clear indications of an approaching storm"
written material intended to be read; "the teacher assigned new readings"; "he bought some reading material at the airport"
a particular interpretation or performance; "on that reading it was an insult"; "he was famous for his reading of Mozart"
a city on the River Thames in Berkshire in southern England
a paste-up made by sticking together pieces of paper or photographs to form an artistic image; "he used his computer to make a collage of pictures superimposed on a map"
any collection of diverse things; "a collage of memories"