ENGLISH
REFERENCE

stroke

n. · v.
US //ˈstɹoʊk// UK //stɹˈəʊk// stroke
  1. 1 medical emergency (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    a sudden, serious illness in the brain caused by a blocked or broken blood vessel.

    a sudden disabling attack or loss of consciousness caused by an interruption in the flow of blood to the brain.

    Example

    He had to stay in the hospital for weeks after suffering a minor stroke.

    Example

    The patient's recovery from the stroke was remarkably swift, though some minor speech impairment remained a concern for the neurology team.
  2. 2 gentle touch (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    the act of moving your hand gently over a surface or a pet.

    an act of moving one's hand or an object across a surface with gentle pressure.

    Example

    The cat purred loudly after just one gentle stroke on its head.

    Example

    With a steady stroke of the cloth, she polished the antique silver until it gleamed in the candlelight.
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  1. 3 art or writing (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a single mark made by a pen, pencil, or paintbrush.

    a single movement or mark made by a pen, pencil, or brush on a surface.

    Example

    The artist finished the painting with a few quick strokes of red paint.

    Example

    The calligrapher executed each stroke with profound precision, ensuring the ink density remained consistent across the entire parchment.
  2. 4 clever action (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a sudden, very successful or clever action.

    a sudden or effective action or event, often used in the phrase 'a stroke of luck' or 'a stroke of genius'.

    Example

    Finding that old map was a stroke of luck for the researchers.

    Example

    The CEO's decision to pivot toward renewable energy proved to be a stroke of genius that saved the company from bankruptcy.
  3. 5 to touch gently (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to move your hand gently over something, like an animal's fur.

    to move one's hand or an object along a surface in one direction, typically as a gesture of affection.

    Example

    The child wanted to stroke the rabbit, but it was too shy.

    Example

    She continued to stroke the dog's ears absentmindedly while she read her book by the fireplace.
  4. 6 to hit a ball (v.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Sport

    to hit a ball with a smooth, controlled movement in sports.

    to hit or kick a ball with a flowing, rhythmic motion, particularly in cricket, tennis, or golf.

    Example

    The golfer stroked the ball perfectly toward the final hole.

    Example

    The batsman stroked the delivery through the covers with such timing that the fielders barely had time to react.
Etymology 1

The noun is derived from Middle English strok, stroke (“blow from a weapon, cut”), from Old English strāc, from Proto-West Germanic straik, from Proto-Germanic straikaz (“stroke”), from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to rub, stroke; to shear; to strike”). Sense 3.6.2.2 (“the oblique, slash, or virgule (‘/’)”) is a contraction of oblique stroke, a variant of oblique which was originally used in telegraphy. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * German Streich (“stroke”) * Middle Low German strēk (“stroke, trick, prank”) * Scots strak, strake, straik (“blow, stroke”)

Etymology 2

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 German strēken, Middle Dutch strēken (modern Dutch streeken) * Old High German strīhhan, streihhōn, Middle High German strīchen (modern German streichen (“to stroke; to rub; to spread; to apply; to paint; to cancel; to cross out, strike out; to delete; to discard”)) * Saterland Frisian strookje (“to stroke; caress”) * West Frisian streakje (“to stroke; caress”)

Word family
Idioms4 entries

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