stroke

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To move your hand gently over a surface, again and again.

   She stroked the cat's soft fur until it fell asleep.

2. 2
   noun

   A single movement of a pen, brush, or tool across a surface.

   The artist finished the painting with a few quick strokes of his brush.

3. 3
   noun

   A single act of hitting a ball, as in golf or tennis.

   He won the golf match by just two strokes.

4. 4
   noun

   A serious medical condition caused when blood cannot reach part of the brain.

   Her grandfather had a stroke and lost the use of his right arm.

5. 5
   noun

   One movement of an arm or leg when swimming or rowing.

   With a few strong strokes she reached the side of the pool.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Stroke is an Old English word sharing a Germanic root with strike. The early senses of strike, including “rub lightly,” were close to the meaning represented by stroke.

The verb is derived from Middle English stroken, straken (“to caress, fondle, pat, rub, smooth, stroke; to pass something over (someone or something); to brush or rub against;”) [and other forms], from Old English strācian (“to stroke”), from Proto-West Germanic *straikōn (“to caress, stroke”), from *straik (“a line, stroke; a dash”) (see further at etymology 1) + *-ōn (suffix forming verbs from nouns). The noun is derived from the verb. Cognates * German streicheln (“to stroke, fondle”) * German Low German straken, strieken, strakeln, striekeln (“to stroke; caress; fondle”) * Middle Low Germa…

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External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary