(a) A road leading from one city or town to another, an open road; also, a path or way through a field, forest, etc.; heigh ~, a main road, highway [OE hēah-strǣt; see also ME heigh adj. 2b.(e)]; kinges ~ [cp. OE cyne-strǣt], a road under royal jurisdiction, king's highway; commune as the ~, promiscuous [cp. commun(e adj. 9.(b)]; (b) forsetten (stoppen) the ~, to block or bar the way; geten the ~, proceed (to a place); holden (an heigh) ~, follow or go on a (main) road; kepen ~, continue on a path; taken the ~, go on the way (to a place); also, set out (to do battle); umsetten ~, crowd around (sb.) along the way; wenden ~, go on one's journey; (c) fig. a way of life, course of conduct, etc.; oute of ~, astray morally or spiritually.

(a) A street in a town or city; also, a pathway in a battlefield; heigh (maister) ~, the main street [see also heigh adj. 2b.(e)]; to (in-to, unto) the ~ ward, toward (up to) the street; beten the stretes, to roam the streets; wepen ful a ~, weep copious tears, weep inordinately; (b) those who live on a street, the people on the street; al the ~, the whole neighborhood, everybody; (c) a passageway in a building; also, a passage between two rows of persons; (d) a village or town; (e) a courtyard.

In phrases: (a) after ech ~, bi (in) everi ~, along or on every road, everywhere; bi (the) ~, bi stretes, in the ~, in (the) stretes, on strete(s, outdoors, outside, out about; in public; ?in all directions [quot. a1450 Castle Persev., 2nd]; ?along the way [quot. c1390]; from ~ to ~, all over town; here and there; (b) bi ~ and lane (stalle, stie, stronde, etc.), bi stie and (bi) ~, bi wei and bi ~, bi weies and stretes, bothe in ~ and stalle, etc., everywhere; -- sometimes used as a verse filler; bi stretes and bi woldes, over roads and plains, by all ways; bi sties (weies) and bi stretes, by all routes, in all directions; (c) bi ~ other bi lanes, bi feld other bi ~, either bi stie or bi ~, bi wei or ~, in weies other in stretes, etc., anywhere; -- sometimes used as a verse filler; bi stie nor ~, in no place; nouther stok nor ~, nothing.

In cpds. & combs.: ~ bidel, ?a town official in charge of repairing the streets, keeping the peace on the streets, etc.; ~ breche, an offense committed against a road or street such as blocking it, diverting its course, etc.; ~ dore, the door of a house leading to the street; ~ erthe, soil taken from a road or street; ~ gavel, a tax for repairing roads or streets; ~ side, the side of the street, roadside; ~ ward, ?a payment for the service of maintaining order in streets or on roads; scole ~, transl. of L Areopagus.

(a) In surnames; (b) in street names and place names [see Smith PNElem.2.161-3]; watling ~ [see also Watling strete n.].