Where does “streak” come from?

Streak comes from Middle English streke, from Old English strica, from Proto-Germanic strikiz, from Proto-Indo-European streyg-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter-.

streak (English): An irregular line left from smearing or motion; A...

Definitions

  1. An irregular line left from smearing or motion; A...

Ancestry of “streak”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishstreke—
2Old Englishstrica—
3Proto-Germanicstrikizline
4Proto-Indo-Europeanstreyg-to strike; to shear
5Proto-Indo-European(s)ter-strong, firm, stiff, rigid; rigid, stiff; to...

Words derived from “streak”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)ter- →
streak — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer