piste

track

noun PEEST Less Common

Also means

trail

Usage Note

Piste covers a wide range of paths: a ski slope (une piste de ski), a runway (une piste d'atterrissage), a dance floor (une piste de danse), and a lead or clue in an investigation (suivre une piste, 'to follow a lead'). The investigative sense makes it a key word in detective stories. The verb pister means to track or tail someone.

Examples

"Les enfants ont suivi une piste dans la forêt."

Natural Translation

The children followed a trail in the forest.

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