What is "streak"

Streak \Streak\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Streaked; p. pr. & vb. n. Streaking.]

1. To form streaks or stripes in or on; to stripe; to variegate with lines of a different color, or of different colors.

   A mule . . . streaked and dappled with white and black.
   --Sandys.

   Now streaked and glowing with the morning red.
   --Prior.

2. With it as an object: To run swiftly. [Colloq.]

Streak \Streak\, v. t. [Cf. Stretch, Streek.] To stretch; to extend; hence, to lay out, as a dead body.

Streak \Streak\, n. [OE. streke; akin to D. streek a line, stroke, G. strich, AS. strica, Sw. strek, Dan. streg, Goth. stricks, and E. strike, stroke. See Strike, Stroke, n., and cf. Strake.]

1. A line or long mark of a different color from the ground; a stripe; a vein.

   What mean those colored streaks in heaven?
   --Milton.

2. (Shipbuilding) A strake.

3. (Min.) The fine powder or mark yielded by a mineral when scratched or rubbed against a harder surface, the color of which is sometimes a distinguishing character.

4. The rung or round of a ladder. [Obs.]

Old English strica "line of motion, stroke of a pen" (related to strican "pass over lightly"), from Proto-Germanic *strikon- (cognates: Middle Dutch streke, Dutch streek, Middle Low German streke "a stroke, line," Old High German, German strich, Gothic striks "a stroke, line"), from PIE root *streig- "to stroke, rub, press" (see strigil; also strike (v.), stroke (v.)). Sense of "long, thin mark" is first found 1560s. Meaning "a temporary run (of luck)" is from 1843.

1768, "to go quickly, to rush, run at full speed," respelling (probably by association with streak (v.1)) of streek "to go quickly" (late 14c.), originally "to stretch oneself" (mid-13c.), a northern Middle English variant of stretch (v.). Related: Streaked; streaking.

"make streaks on" (transitive), 1590s, from streak (n.). Intransitive sense of "become streaked" is from 1870. Related: Streaked; streaking.

n. An irregular line left from smearing or motion. vb. 1 (context intransitive English) To have or obtain streaks. 2 (context intransitive slang English) To run naked in public. (qualifier: Contrast ''flash''.) 3 (context transitive English) To create streaks. 4 (context transitive English) To move very swiftly. 5 (context obsolete UK Scotland English) To stretch; to extend; hence, to lay out, as a dead body.

1. n. an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" [syn: run]

2. a distinctive characteristic; "he has a stubborn streak"; "a streak of wildness"

3. a marking of a different color or texture from the background [syn: stripe]

4. a sudden flash (as of lightning)

5. v. move quickly in a straight line; "The plane streaked across the sky"

6. run naked in a public place

7. mark with spots or blotches of different color or shades of color as if stained [syn: mottle, blotch]

Streak or streaking may refer to:

• Streaking, running naked in a public place
• Streaking (microbiology), a method of purifying micro-organisms
• Streak (mineralogy), the color left by a mineral dragged across a rough surface
• Streak (moth), in the family Geometridae
• Streak (film), a 2008 film
• Winning streak (sports), consecutive wins in sport or gambling
  • Losing streak (sports)
  • The Streak (wrestling), a run of victories for The Undertaker at WrestleMania
• Iron man (sports streak), an athlete of unusual physical endurance
• Dell Streak, tablet computer by Dell
• Streak camera, device to measure short optical pulses
• " The Streak", a 1974 record by Ray Stevens
• Archenteron, an indentation on a blastula
• Heath Streak, former Zimbabwe cricket team captain
• Streak late 1940s single engine civilian aircraft
• Streak (company) is a private American company founded in 2011 and based in San Francisco, California
• Streak (zoology) is a group of tigers. → see List of collective names for a group of animals

Streak is a 2008 American coming-of-age short film directed by Demi Moore, written by Kelly Fremon and Allan Loeb, and starring Brittany Snow and Rumer Willis. The film was actress Demi Moore's first film. The plot focuses on a young woman stuck in a life she no longer wants with gym-rat friends and obsessive behavior. To break free, she reaches for fun in an interesting form of expression.

The streak (Chesias legatella) is a moth of the family Geometridae. It is found in northern and western Europe and north Africa. It is common in Britain, but local and confined to the north in Ireland.

The species is quite variable, the forewings being buff or brown, but is always easily identified by the bold whitish apical streak which gives it its common name. The hindwings are pale grey or buff. The wingspan is . The moth flies, usually at dusk, in September and October and is sometimes attracted to light.

The larva usually feeds on broom but has been recorded on yellow bush lupin. The species overwinters as an egg.

1. The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

The streak (also called "powder color") of a mineral is the color of the powder produced when it is dragged across an un-weathered surface. Unlike the apparent color of a mineral, which for most minerals can vary considerably, the trail of finely ground powder generally has a more consistent characteristic color, and is thus an important diagnostic tool in mineral identification. If no streak seems to be made, the mineral's streak is said to be white or colorless. Streak is particularly important as a diagnostic for opaque and colored materials. It is less useful for silicate minerals, most of which have a white streak or are too hard to powder easily.

The apparent color of a mineral can vary widely because of trace impurities or a disturbed macroscopic crystal structure. Small amounts of an impurity that strongly absorbs a particular wavelength can radically change the wavelengths of light that are reflected by the specimen, and thus change the apparent color. However, when the specimen is dragged to produce a streak, it is broken into randomly oriented microscopic crystals, and small impurities do not greatly affect the absorption of light.

The surface across which the mineral is dragged is called a "streak plate," and is generally made of unglazed porcelain tile. In the absence of a streak plate, the unglazed underside of a porcelain bowl or vase or the back of a glazed tile will work. Sometimes a streak is more easily or accurately described by comparing it with the "streak" made by another streak plate.

Because the trail left behind results from the mineral being crushed into powder, a streak can only be made of minerals softer than the streak plate, around 7 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. In case of harder minerals, the color of the powder can be determined by filing or crushing with a hammer a small sample, which is then usually rubbed on a streak plate. Most minerals that are harder have an unhelpful white streak.

Some minerals leave a streak similar to their natural color, such as cinnabar and lazurite. Other minerals leave surprising colors, such as fluorite, which always has a white streak, although it can appear in purple, blue, yellow, or green crystals. Hematite, which is black in appearance, leaves a red streak which accounts for its name, which comes from the Greek word "haima," meaning "blood." Galena, which can be similar in appearance to hematite, is easily distinguished by its gray streak.

Streak is the developer of an eponymous customer relationship management platform for Gmail. Streak was founded by Aleem Mawani and Omar Ismail and is a graduate of the Y Combinator seed accelerator. The company has received $1.9 million in venture capital from investors including Battery Ventures, Crunchfund, Floodgate, Michael Birch, Chris Sacca, and David Tish. Streak is also the developer of SecureGmail, open-source Google Chrome extension that allows users to encrypt Gmail messages.