STROKE

I. transitive verb (~d; stroking) see: strike Date: before 12th century to rub gently in one direction, to flatter or pay attention to in a manner designed to reassure or persuade, ~r noun II. noun see: strike Date: 13th century the act of striking, a single unbroken movement, 3. a controlled swing intended to hit a ball or shuttlecock, such a ~ charged to a player as a unit of scoring in golf, 4. a sudden action or process producing an impact , an unexpected result , sudden diminution or loss of consciousness, sensation, and voluntary motion caused by rupture or obstruction (as by a clot) of a blood vessel of the brain, 6. one of a series of propelling beats or movements against a resisting medium , a rower who sets the pace for a crew, 7. a vigorous or energetic effort by which something is done, produced, or accomplished , a delicate or clever touch in a narrative, description, or construction, heartbeat , the movement in either direction of a mechanical part (as a piston) having a reciprocating motion, the sound of a bell being struck , an act of stroking or caressing, 12. a mark or dash made by a single movement of an implement, one of the lines of a letter of the alphabet, III. verb (~d; stroking) Date: 1597 transitive verb 1. to mark with a short line , to cancel by drawing a line through , to set the ~ for (a rowing crew), hit , intransitive verb to execute a ~, to row at a certain number of ~s a minute