streak

[streek]
noun
1.
a long, narrow mark, smear, band of color, or the like: streaks of mud.
2.
a portion or layer of something, distinguished by color or nature from the rest; a vein or stratum: streaks of fat in meat.
3.
a vein, strain, or admixture of anything: a streak of humor.
4.
Informal.
a.
a spell or run: a streak of good luck.
b.
an uninterrupted series: The team had a losing streak of ten games.
5.
a flash leaving a visible line or aftereffect, as of lightning; bolt.
6.
Mineralogy. the line of powder obtained by scratching a mineral or rubbing it upon a hard, rough white surface, often differing in color from the mineral in the mass, and serving as an important distinguishing character.
7.
Plant Pathology.
a.
an elongated, narrow, superficial lesion on stems or leaf veins, becoming brown and necrotic.
b.
any disease characterized by such lesions.
verb (used with object)
8.
to mark with a streak or streaks; form streaks on: sunlight streaking the water with gold; frost streaking the windows.
9.
to lighten or color (strands of hair) for contrastive effect.
10.
to dispose, arrange, smear, spread, etc., in the form of a streak or streaks: to streak cold germs on a slide for microscopic study.
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verb (used without object)
11.
to become streaked.
12.
to run, go, or work rapidly.
13.
to flash, as lightning.
14.
to make a sudden dash in public while naked, especially as a prank.
Idioms
15.
blue streak. blue streak.
Origin:
before 1000; (noun) Middle English streke, akin to strike, Old English strica stroke, line, mark; cognate with German Strich, Gothic striks stroke, Latin strigil strigil; (v.) late Middle English streken to cross out, derivative of the noun (akin to strike, stroke1)

Related forms
streaked·ly [streekt-lee, stree-kid-lee] , adverb
streaked·ness, noun
streak·er, noun
streak·like, adjective
in·ter·streak, verb (used with object)
un·streaked, adjective

Synonyms
3. cast, touch, element, trace.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
streak1 (striːk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a long thin mark, stripe, or trace of some contrasting colour
2.  a.  (of lightning) a sudden flash
 b.  (as modifier): streak lightning
3.  an element or trace, as of some quality or characteristic
4.  a strip, vein, or layer: fatty streaks
5.  a short stretch or run, esp of good or bad luck
6.  mineralogy the powdery mark made by a mineral when rubbed on a hard or rough surface: its colour is an important distinguishing characteristic
7.  bacteriol the inoculation of a solid culture medium by drawing a wire contaminated with the microorganisms across it
8.  informal an act or the practice of running naked through a public place
 
—vb
9.  (tr) to mark or daub with a streak or streaks
10.  (intr) to form streaks or become streaked
11.  (intr) to move rapidly in a straight line
12.  informal (intr) to run naked through a crowd of people in a public place in order to shock or amuse them
 
[Old English strica, related to Old Frisian strike, Old High German strih, Norwegian, Swedish strika]
 
streaked1
 
—adj
 
'streaker1
 
—n
 
'streaklike1
 
—adj

streak2 (striːk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
a variant spelling of strake

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

streak
O.E. strica "line of motion, stroke of a pen" (related to strican "pass over lightly," see strike), from P.Gmc. *strikon (cf. M.L.G. streke "stroke, line," O.H.G., Ger. strich, Goth. striks "stroke, line"), from PIE base *streig- (see
strigil). Sense of "long, thin mark" is first found 1567. Meaning "a temporary run (of luck)" is from 1843.

streak
1768, "to go quickly, to rush, run at full speed," respelling (by association with streak (n.)) of streek "to go quickly" (late 14c.), originally "to stretch oneself" (mid-13c.), a northern M.E. variant of stretch (v.). Streaking "running naked in public" first recorded 1973.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

streak (strēk)
n.
A line, stripe, smear, or band differentiated by color or texture from its surroundings.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
streak   (strēk)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. The characteristic color of a mineral after it has been ground into a powder. Because the streak of a mineral is not always the same as its natural color, it is a useful tool in mineral identification.

  2. A bacterial culture inoculated by drawing a bacteria-laden needle across the surface of a solid culture medium. Also called streak plate.

  3. Any of various viral diseases of plants characterized by the appearance of discolored stripes on the leaves or stems.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary

streak definition


  1. in.
    to move rapidly from one place to another. : The train streaked into the station and came to a stop just inches from the end of the track.
  2. in.
    to run about in a public place naked. : This kid was streaking back and forth until the cops caught him.
  3. tv.
    to grace or ornament a public place or event with a naked run. : Charles streaked the baseball game, but nobody noticed him.
  4. n.
    a naked run in a public place. (See also streaker.) : There was a streak at the end of the game, but people were leaving then and didn't see it.
  5. n.
    an exciting time; a wild party. : We had a streak at Tom's.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

streak

see like greased lightning (a blue streak); talk someone's arm off (a blue streak); winning streak.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Individuals who migrate to the sea lose their distinctive pink streak for a
  silver look.
The real worry should be that more power could encourage his authoritarian
  streak.
Its tight-knit, independent streak dates back centuries.
Now the question is how the company can continue its winning streak under new
  leadership.
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