streak

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
streak/striːk/

▶noun

• 1 a long, thin mark of a different substance or colour from its surroundings.

• 2 an element of a specified kind in someone's character: a ruthless streak.

• 3 a spell of specified success or luck.

▶verb

• 1 mark with streaks.

• 2 move very fast in a specified direction.

• 3 informal run naked in a public place so as to shock or amuse.

– phrases
like a streak informal very fast.
streak of lightning a flash of lightning.

– derivatives
streaker noun,
streaking noun.

– origin OE strica, of Gmc origin; rel. to strike.