Spoor is the trail a wild animal leaves behind on the ground — footprints, droppings, broken grass, anything a tracker can read to say 'it went that way, and not long ago'. The word covers the whole trail, not one single print.

Spoor蹤跡 is the trail是野生動物 a wild animal leaves behind留在地上的痕跡 on the ground — footprints腳印、droppings糞便、broken grass被壓斷的草, anything a tracker can read任何追蹤者能看懂的東西 to say能拿來說 'it went that way, and not long ago'「牠往那個方向去了，而且沒多久」。The word這個字 covers the whole trail涵蓋整條蹤跡, not one single print不只是一個腳印。

This is a specialist word from hunting and wildlife tracking, and it comes into English from South Africa (through Afrikaans and Dutch), so it turns up most often in writing about Africa: safari books, nature documentaries, old hunting stories. A ranger might say 'we picked up the spoor at the river' — meaning they found the trail and started following it.

This is a specialist word這是一個專業用語 from hunting and wildlife tracking來自狩獵和野生動物追蹤, and it comes into English而它進入英文 from South Africa是從南非來的 (through Afrikaans and Dutch經由南非語和荷蘭語), so it turns up most often所以它最常出現 in writing about Africa在寫非洲的文章裡: safari books狩獵旅遊書、nature documentaries自然紀錄片、old hunting stories舊時的狩獵故事。A ranger一位巡林員 might say可能會說 'we picked up the spoor at the river'「我們在河邊發現了蹤跡」 — meaning意思是 they found the trail他們找到了那條蹤跡 and started following it並開始跟蹤。

Two points of grammar your students will need.

Two points of grammar兩個文法重點 your students will need是你的學生會需要知道的。

It is normally uncountable: you say 'fresh spoor', 'the spoor was cold', not 'a spoor' or 'three spoors'. And it also works as a verb, 'to spoor', meaning to follow that trail — though the verb is rarer, and most speakers today would just say 'to track'.

It is normally uncountable它通常是不可數的: you say你會說 'fresh spoor'「新鮮的蹤跡」、'the spoor was cold'「蹤跡已經冷了」, not 'a spoor' or 'three spoors'而不會說「a spoor」或「three spoors」。And it也 also works as a verb也可以當動詞用, 'to spoor'「spoor」, meaning意思是 to follow that trail跟蹤那條蹤跡 — though the verb不過這個動詞用法 is rarer比較少見, and most speakers today而現在大多數人 would just say其實只會說 'to track'「to track」。

Outside tracking, you will sometimes see it used figuratively in literary writing — 'the spoor of an old empire' — meaning the traces something has left behind. That is a writer reaching for a striking word; it is not everyday use.

Outside tracking在追蹤以外的場合, you will sometimes see it你有時候會看到它 used figuratively被用在比喻的寫作裡 in literary writing, — 'the spoor of an old empire'「一個古老帝國留下的蹤跡」 — meaning意思是 the traces某樣東西留下的痕跡 something has left behind。That is a writer reaching那是作家 for a striking word想找一個搶眼的字; it is not everyday use不是日常用法。