Spoor

By Deane Barker

Definition: a trail left behind by something; an animal trail

This usually refers to an animal’s trail, but is also used to refer to a general trail of clues that something has happened. For example, we might leave a “digital spoor” as we spend time on the internet.

It comes from a Afrikaans word for “footprint.”

Why I Looked It Up

It was a NY Times crossword clue:

Wild animal’s trail

I actually got the word, but only by brute-forcing the individual letters.

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