(a) A blow delivered with a weapon; a slash, cut; a thrust or stab; also fig.; honde ~, honde of (to) honde ~, a blow delivered in hand-to-hand combat; quartere ~, a blow with a quarterstaff; (b) a shot or a blow made with an arrow, a dart, or a thrown spear; a hit of a stone, missile from a siege machine, etc.; also fig.; (c) a blow or lash made with a whip or an instrument of punishment; pl. lashes, blows; the stripes suffered by Christ in his Passion; also, beatings as punishment; (d) the action of dealing a blow; the action of wielding weapons or slashing in battle; ~ of the bataile, the force of fighting; withouten (ani) ~, without striking a blow, without fighting; without a beating.

(a) A buffet with the hand or fist, a knock; a kick with the foot; (b) a blow or kick delivered by an animal; a jab made by a bird with its bill; deth ~, the deadly sting of a scorpion; (c) a blow with a hammer; a chop made in cutting a tree; also, the stroke of a flail in threshing grain; ~ nail (hedes), nails (nailheads) of some kind [perh. from confusion with strake n.(2)]; taken a ~, ?to give (a piece of meat) a tap or blow with a utensil; (d) a touch or pluck on a harp; a blow on a gong; upon ~, ?at a blast (of trumpets) [cp. strake n.(1)]; (e) the beat or beating of the pulse; (f) the striking of a clock; (g) the sound of a blow being delivered.

A wound or bruise caused by a blow; also, the point or place wounded or struck by a blow or slash [quot. a1500(a1415)].

(a) A crash of thunder, thunderclap; a flash of lightning; ~ of (the) thonder, thonder ~; (b) ?a vibration of the air; the blast of a fart; (c) the flow or course of a river; a stream, ?water current; ~ of rein, a rainstorm or shower of rain.

(a) A blow dealt by death, pestilence, poverty, divine retribution, etc.; an act or event causing suffering or death; ?a hardship [quot. a1450-a1500(1436)]; also, a strike against spiritual temptation [quot. c1460]; (b) an emotional jolt or pang caused by love or anger; also, the impact of an emotional shock [quot. c1400]; (c) an attack in an argument or a controversy; a clash of arguments; (d) ~ of thought, a flash of intuition.

?A piece of wood with which grain is leveled even with the rim of the container; ?the arm or beam of a balance; also, that which is used to polish or smooth something; -- used fig.

(a) In phrases: at a (o, on) ~, in on ~, in a moment, at once, instantly; in the ~ of an eie, in a twinkling of an eye, in an instant; (b) in sayings.

A kind of sweet cream [cp. EMnE & MnE dial. strokings the last milk drawn from a cow].

In cpd.: baude ~, a procuress; -- ?error for baud(e-strote n. or from association of its 2nd element with strout n.

As surname.