streak

English

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streak

Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English streke, from Old English strica, from Proto-Germanic *strikiz, from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“line”). Related to North Frisian strijck, Old Saxon striki, Middle Low German streke, Low German streek, Danish streg, Swedish streck, Norwegian Bokmål strek, Icelandic stryk, strykr, Dutch streek, Afrikaans streek, Old High German strih, German Strich, Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍃 (striks).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /stɹiːk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːk

Noun

streak (plural streaks)

1. An irregular line left from smearing or motion.
   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.

   The picture I took out the car window had streaks.

2. A continuous series of like events.

   I hope I can keep up this streak of accomplishments.

   I was on a winning streak until the fourth game, when I was dealt terrible cards.

3. A consistent facet of somebody's personality.

   a mean streak

   a stubborn streak

4. The color of the powder of a mineral. So called, because a simple field test for a mineral is to streak it against unglazed white porcelain.
5. A moth of the family Geometridae, Chesias legatella.
   • Streak (moth) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
6. A tendency or characteristic, but not a dominant or pervasive one.

   She's a quiet, bookish person, but she has a rebellious streak.

   • 2017 November 14, Phil McNulty, “England 0-0 Brazil”, in BBC News‎:

     Rashford showed the fearless streak Southgate so admires with his constant willingness to run at Brazil's defence with pace, even demonstrating on occasion footwork that would not have been out of place from members of England's illustrious opposition.

   • 2022 June 29, Sam Biddle, “Cryptocurrency Titan Coinbase Providing "Geo Tracking Data" to ICE”, in The Intercept‎:

     Coinbase’s government work has proved highly controversial to many crypto fans, owing perhaps to the long-running libertarian streak in that community.

7. (shipbuilding) A strake.
8. A rung or round of a ladder.
9. The act of streaking, or running naked through a public area.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

streak (third-person singular simple present streaks, present participle streaking, simple past and past participle streaked)

1. (intransitive) To have or obtain streaks.

   If you clean a window in direct sunlight, it will streak.

2. (intransitive) To run quickly.
   • 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 82:

     "As it was I came a hell of a crack against a Dam' rustic arbour in the garden. Dam' near stunned me. But I never stopped a second. Up and over the back fence and streaked for the common."

3. (intransitive) To run naked in public.

   Coordinate term: flash

   It was a pleasant game until some guy went streaking across the field.

   • 1974 March 4, Hendrick O'Neil, “Streaking runs its course”, in UPIs 20th Century Top Stories (wire feed):

     The fad began with a lone male running naked across the Florida State University campus several weeks ago. Students on other campuses began streaking in pairs, then groups, and were joined by some coeds.

4. (intransitive) To move very swiftly.
   • 1949 November and December, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 365:

     But when we streaked through Doncaster at all but a mile-a-minute, with a miraculously clear road, in no more than 37 min. 18 sec. from the York start, I began to sit up and take notice.

5. (transitive) To create streaks upon.

   You will streak a window by cleaning it in direct sunlight.

   • 1851 November 14, Herman Melville, chapter 32, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC, page 157:

     Though his entire back down to his side fins is of a deep sable, yet a boundary line, distinct as the mark in a ship’s hull, called the “bright waist,” that line streaks him from stem to stern, with two separate colours, black above and white below.

6. (obsolete, UK, Scotland) To stretch; to extend; hence, to lay out, as a dead body.

Translations

See also

• losing streak
• streaker
• winning streak
• talk a blue streak

Further reading

• Jonathon Green (2024) “streak n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
• Jonathon Green (2024) “on a streak”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang
• Eric Partridge (2005) “streak”, in Tom Dalzell and Terry Victor, editors, The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, volumes 2 (J–Z), London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 1885.

Anagrams

• Akters, Kaster, Krastë, Skater, Staker, Starke, Tasker, retask, sakret, skater, staker, strake, takers, tasker, trakes