streak

What it means

1. An irregular line, as is left from smearing or motion.

   The picture I took out the car window had streaks.

   1 more example

   'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.

   1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC

   1. A band, line or stripe.

      A streak of light on the horizon.

2. A continuous series of like events.

   I hope I can keep up this streak of accomplishments.

   1 more example

   I was on a winning streak until the fourth game, when I was dealt terrible cards.

   Synonyms: chain, string

In a sentence

'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.

1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC

Where it comes from

1. Proto-Indo-European*streyg-
2. Proto-Germanic*strikiz
3. Proto-West Germanic*striki
4. Old Englishstrica
5. Middle Englishstreke
6. Englishstreak

From Middle English streke, from Old English strica, from Proto-Germanic *strikiz, from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“line”). Related to North Frisian strijck, Old Saxon striki, Middle Low German streke, Low German streek, Danish streg, Swedish streck, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk strek, Icelandic stryk, strykr, Dutch streek, Afrikaans streek, Old High German strih, German Strich, Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌺𐍃 (striks).