— streakedly /streekt"lee, stree"kid lee/ , adv. — streakedness , n. — streaker , n. — streaklike , adj.
/streek/ , n.
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. Mineral. 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 Pathol.
a. an elongated, narrow, superficial lesion on stems or leaf veins, becoming brown and necrotic.
b. any disease characterized by such lesions.
8. blue streak . See blue streak .
v.t.
9. to mark with a streak or streaks; form streaks on: sunlight streaking the water with gold; frost streaking the windows.
10. to lighten or color (strands of hair) for contrastive effect.
11. to dispose, arrange, smear, spread, etc., in the form of a streak or streaks: to streak cold germs on a slide for microscopic study.
v.i.
12. to become streaked.
13. to run, go, or work rapidly.
14. to flash, as lightning.
15. to make a sudden dash in public while naked, esp. as a prank.
[ 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 ) ]
Syn. 3. cast, touch, element, trace.