ETYM Old Eng. strok, strook, strak, from striken. Related to Strike.
1. A light touch.
2. A light touch with the hands; SYN. stroking.
3. A single complete movement.
4. Any one of the repeated movements of the limbs and body used for locomotion in swimming or rowing.
5. A mark made by a writing implement (as in cursive writing).

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(Medicine) A sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain; SYN. apoplexy, cerebrovascular accident, CVA.
Or cerebrovascular accident or apoplexy; Interruption of the blood supply to part of the brain due to a sudden bleed in the brain (cerebral hemorrhage) or embolism or thrombosis. Strokes vary in severity from producing almost no symptoms to proving rapidly fatal. In between are those (often recurring) that leave a wide range of impaired function, depending on the size and location of the event.
Strokes involving the right side of the brain, for example, produce weakness of the left side of the body. Some affect speech. Transient ischemic attacks, or “mini-strokes”, with effects lasting only briefly (less than 24 hours), require investigation to try to forestall the possibility of a subsequent full-blown stroke.
The disease of the arteries that predisposes to stroke is atherosclerosis. High blood pressure (hypertension) is also a precipitating factor.
Strokes can sometimes be prevented by surgery (as in the case of some aneurysms), or by use of anticoagulant drugs or vitamin E or daily aspirin to minimize the risk of stroke due to blood clots.

1. To touch lightly and with affection, with brushing motions; SYN. fondle, caress.
2. To treat gingerly or carefully
3. To be or act as the stroke.
4. To strike a ball with a smooth blow.

(Sports) The act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand; SYN. shot.

1. In data entry, a keystroke—a signal to the computer that a key has been pressed.
2. In typography, a line representing part of a letter.
/> 3. In paint programs, a “swipe” of the brush made with the mouse or keyboard in creating a graphic.
4. In display technology, a line created as a vector (a path between two coordinates) on a vector graphics display (as opposed to a line of pixels drawn dot by dot on a raster graphics display).