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streaker

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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.
–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, esp. as a prank.
15. blue streak. blue streak.

Origin:
bef. 1000; (n.) ME streke, akin to strike, OE strica stroke, line, mark; c. G Strich, Goth striks stroke, L strigil strigil; (v.) late ME streken to cross out, deriv. of the n. (akin to strike, stroke 1 )


streaked⋅ly [streekt-lee, stree-kid-lee] , adverb
streakedness, noun
streaker, noun
streaklike, adjective


3. cast, touch, element, trace.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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streak   (strēk)   
n.  
  1. A line, mark, smear, or band differentiated by color or texture from its surroundings.

  2. An inherent, often contrasting quality: "There was a streak of wildness in him" (Olga Carlisle).

  3. A ray or flash of light: the first streaks of dawn; a streak of lightning.

  4. Informal

    1. A brief run or stretch, as of luck.

    2. An unbroken series, as of wins or losses.

  5. Mineralogy The color of the fine powder produced when a mineral is rubbed against a hard surface. Used as a distinguishing characteristic.

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

  7. Microbiology A bacterial culture inoculated by drawing a bacteria-laden needle across the surface of a solid culture medium.

v.   streaked, streak·ing, streaks

v.   tr.
  1. To mark with streaks: rain streaking the pavement.

  2. To lighten (strands of hair) with a chemical preparation.

  3. Microbiology To inoculate in order to produce a streak.

v.   intr.
  1. To form streaks.

  2. To be or become streaked.

  3. To move at high speed; rush.

  4. To run naked in public, especially as a prank.


[Middle English streke, line, from Old English strica; see streig- in Indo-European roots.]
streak'er n.
Synonyms: These nouns denote an inherent, often unexpected quality, as in a person's character: a streak of humor; a strain of melancholy; a vein of stubbornness.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
streak

  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.
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streaker

  1. n.
    someone who runs naked in public places. : The streaker ran through a glass door and was severely injured.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

streak  (v.)
1768, "to go quickly, to rush, run at full speed," respelling (by association with streak (n.)) of streek "to go quickly" (c.1380), originally "to stretch oneself" (c.1250), a northern M.E. variant of stretch (v.). Streaking "running naked in public" first recorded 1973.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2streak
Function: transitive verb
: to implant (inoculum) in a line on a solid medium
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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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.
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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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