What is "trail"

Trail \Trail\, v. i.

1. To be drawn out in length; to follow after.

   When his brother saw the red blood trail.
   --Spenser.

2. To grow to great length, especially when slender and creeping upon the ground, as a plant; to run or climb.

Trail \Trail\ (tr[=a]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Trailed; p. pr. & vb. n. Trailing.] [OE. trailen, OF. trailler to trail a deer, or hunt him upon a cold scent, also, to hunt or pursue him with a limehound, F. trailler to trail a fishing line; probably from a derivative of L. trahere to draw; cf. L. traha a drag, sledge, tragula a kind of drag net, a small sledge, Sp. trailla a leash, an instrument for leveling the ground, D. treilen to draw with a rope, to tow, treil a rope for drawing a boat. See Trace, v. t.]

1. 1. To hunt by the track; to track.

   2. to follow behind.

   3. To pursue.
      --Halliwell.

2. To draw or drag, as along the ground.

   And hung his head, and trailed his legs along.
   --Dryden.

   They shall not trail me through their streets Like a wild beast.
   --Milton.

   Long behind he trails his pompous robe.
   --Pope.

3. (Mil.) To carry, as a firearm, with the breech near the ground and the upper part inclined forward, the piece being held by the right hand near the middle.

4. To tread down, as grass, by walking through it; to lay flat.
   --Longfellow.

5. To take advantage of the ignorance of; to impose upon.

   I presently perceived she was (what is vernacularly termed) trailing Mrs. Dent; that is, playing on her ignorance.
   --C. Bronte.

Trail \Trail\, n.

1. A track left by man or beast; a track followed by the hunter; a scent on the ground by the animal pursued; as, a deer trail.

   They traveled in the bed of the brook, leaving no dangerous trail.
   --Cooper.

   How cheerfully on the false trail they cry!
   --Shak.

2. A footpath or road track through a wilderness or wild region; as, an Indian trail over the plains.

3. Anything drawn out to a length; as, the trail of a meteor; a trail of smoke.

   When lightning shoots in glittering trails along.
   --Rowe.

4. Anything drawn behind in long undulations; a train. ``A radiant trail of hair.''
   --Pope.

5. Anything drawn along, as a vehicle. [Obs.]

6. A frame for trailing plants; a trellis. [Obs.]

7. The entrails of a fowl, especially of game, as the woodcock, and the like; -- applied also, sometimes, to the entrails of sheep.

   The woodcock is a favorite with epicures, and served with its trail in, is a delicious dish.
   --Baird.

8. (Mil.) That part of the stock of a gun carriage which rests on the ground when the piece is unlimbered. See Illust. of Gun carriage, under Gun.

9. The act of taking advantage of the ignorance of a person; an imposition. [Prov. Eng.]

   Trail boards (Shipbuilding), the carved boards on both sides of the cutwater near the figurehead.

   Trail net, a net that is trailed or drawn behind a boat.
   --Wright.

c.1300, "to hang down loosely and flow behind" (of a gown, sleeve, etc.), from Old French trailler "to tow; pick up the scent of a quarry," ultimately from Vulgar Latin *tragulare "to drag," from Latin tragula "dragnet, javelin thrown by a strap," probably related to trahere "to pull" (see tract (n.1)). Transitive sense of "to tow or pull along the ground" is from c.1400. The meaning "follow the trail of" (an animal, etc.) is first recorded late 14c. Meaning "to lag behind" is from 1957. Related: Trailed; trailing.

early 14c., "trailing part of a robe, gown, etc.," from trail (v.). The meaning "track or smell left by a person or animal" is also from 1580s. Meaning "path or track worn in wilderness" is attested from 1807. Trail of Tears in reference to the U.S. government's brutally incompetent Cherokee removal of 1838-9 is attested by 1908.

n. 1 The track or indication marking the route followed by something that has passed, such as the footprints of animal on land or the contrail of an airplane in the sky. 2 A route for travel over land, especially a narrow, unpaved pathway for use by hikers, horseback riders, etc. 3 A trailer broadcast on television for a forthcoming film or programme. vb. 1 (label en transitive) To follow behind (someone or something); to tail (someone or something). 2 (label en transitive) To drag (something) behind on the ground. 3 (label en transitive) To leave (a trail of). 4 (label en transitive) To show a trailer of (a film, TV show etc.); to release or publish a preview of (a report etc.) in advance of the full publication. 5 To be lose, to be behind in a competition.

1. n. a track or mark left by something that has passed; "there as a trail of blood"; "a tear left its trail on her cheek"

2. a path or track roughly blazed through wild or hilly country

3. evidence pointing to a possible solution; "the police are following a promising lead"; "the trail led straight to the perpetrator" [syn: lead, track]

1. v. to lag or linger behind; "But in so many other areas we still are dragging" [syn: drag, get behind, hang back, drop behind]

2. go after with the intent to catch; "The policeman chased the mugger down the alley"; "the dog chased the rabbit" [syn: chase, chase after, tail, tag, give chase, dog, go after, track]

3. move, proceed, or walk draggingly pr slowly; "John trailed behind behis class mates"; "The Mercedes trailed behind the horse cart" [syn: shack]

4. hang down so as to drag along the ground; "The bride's veiled trailed along the ground"

5. drag loosely along a surface; allow to sweep the ground; "The toddler was trailing his pants"; "She trained her long scarf behind her" [syn: train]

Trail was the name of a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia located in the West Kootenay region. It is named after the town of Trail, B.C.. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the election of 1916 . Its predecessor riding was Rossland City (1903–1912) and from 1924 it was succeeded by the riding of Rossland-Trail.

For other current and historical electoral districts in the Kootenay region, please see Kootenay (electoral districts).

In the field of cell biology, TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL), is a protein functioning as a ligand that induces the process of cell death called apoptosis.

TRAIL is a cytokine that is produced and secreted by most normal tissue cells. It causes apoptosis primarily in tumor cells, by binding to certain death receptors. TRAIL and its receptors have been used as the targets of several anti-cancer therapeutics since the mid-1990s, such as Mapatumumab. However, as of 2013, these have not shown significant survival benefit.

TRAIL has also been designated CD253 ( cluster of differentiation 253) and TNFSF10 ( tumor necrosis factor (ligand) superfamily, member 10).

Trail, in addition to its main meaning of a route for travel, may refer to:

• Trail, British Columbia, Canada
• Trail, Minnesota, United States
• Trail, Oregon, United States

• TRAIL, acronym in molecular biology for "TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand"
• Technical Report Archive & Image Library, also known as TRAIL
• Trail, design parameter for vehicles with two in-line wheels such as bicycles and motorcycles
• Trail (magazine), British hillwalking and mountaineering magazine (originally called Trail Walker)
• Trail, Scottish clan aka Traill
• Trail (graph theory)

The name Traill (Tra-yill-e) is a French family of Lairds or land Barons and clergy from Paris, France. They originated in pre and post revolutionary France and spread to Orkney, Northern Ireland and beyond. References to Trails as Barons are recorded from the year 1066 and references to the family extend as early as the 10th century.

Trail is a competitive class at horse shows where horses and riders in western-style attire and horse tack navigate a series of obstacles. Contestants ride the course one at a time. Originally designed to resemble situations a horse and rider might actually encounter when on a trail in a natural habitat, modern trail classes now tend to focus more heavily on agility and manners, with courses bearing very little resemblance to real-world natural trails.

A typical trail course requires horse and rider to open and pass through a small gate while mounted; walk across a fake bridge; cross over a set of rails or logs at a walk, trot or lope; back up, often with a turn while backing; sidepass, often over a rail or log; turn on the forehand or hindquarters within a confined area; and tolerate some type of "spooky" obstacle, such as having the rider put on a vinyl raincoat. The horse is asked to perform all three gaits in the process of completing the course.

Additional obstacles or tests may include walking over a plastic tarp or through water; having the horse ground-tie (remain standing in one spot while the rider walks away); to walk, trot or lope in very tight quarters, such as traveling through a series of cones or markers in a serpentine pattern; or take a small jump (usually under 18 inches, as riders are in western saddles and cannot easily get off the horse's back into a jumping position).

Sanctioned horse shows have extremely strict, uniform rules for types of obstacles allowed, distances and sizes used for agility obstacles, and rules for time allowed for each obstacle. Course designers often add both beauty and challenge to a course by adding potted shrubs, flowers, and brightly painting various obstacle elements.

Local shows not governed by the rules of a national organization may have simpler courses that do not require all three gaits, have fewer, simpler obstacles, or easier spacing. On the other hand, unsanctioned shows may also have far more imaginative courses than do larger competitions. Obstacles not allowed at most sanctioned shows but sometimes seen at the local level may include asking a horse to load in a strange trailer; asking the horse to pass quietly by animal hides (cow hides are common, but even bear skins may be seen) or asking the horse to pass by or even lead unusual live animals (everything from goats and mules to llamas). Often, the only limit is the course designer's imagination.

Another popular event that combines elements of a trail class with actual natural conditions is the judged trail ride, where riders travel a natural trail, usually of five to ten miles, and periodically come upon obstacles where the horse's manners and performance are judged.