traced
v.v. to find the origin or cause of something by looking at its history or following a path. You use this when you want to show how something started or where it came from.
v. to discover the origin, cause, or development of something by following its history or a trail of evidence. Often used in the passive voice to describe historical or genealogical connections.
The police traced the phone call to a house in the city.
The family successfully traced their ancestors back to a small village in northern Italy using old church records.
The historian traced the evolution of the legal concept from its roots in Roman law through to its modern application in international treaties.
The verb is transitive and frequently appears in the passive voice ('can be traced back to').
The problem traced to a mistakeThe problem was traced to a mistakeWhen the subject is the thing being investigated, the passive voice is required to show that someone performed the tracing.