What does "strake" mean?
An iron fitting of a traditional wooden wheel, such as a hub component or bearing (e.g., box, bushel), a cleat, or a rim covering.
Strake
/ˈstɹeɪk/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An iron fitting of a traditional wooden wheel, such as a hub component or bearing (e.g., box, bushel), a cleat, or a rim covering.
- Grammar: strake is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: adhesive tape, band, bandage, batten.
- Usage evidence: The separate pieces of iron, forming together the fitting of the wheel, are called strakes, and the great nails by which they are fastened to the woodwork, and which had thick projecting heads, are called strake-nails and occasionally, it seems, cart-nails, great nails, or frets.
How to use "strake"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "strake" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "strake" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "strake" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "strake" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "strake" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adhesive tape" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "strake", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An iron fitting of a traditional wooden wheel, such as a hub component or bearing (e.g., box, bushel), a cleat, or a rim covering. archaic
"The separate pieces of iron, forming together the fitting of the wheel, are called strakes, and the great nails by which they are fastened to the woodwork, and which had thick projecting heads, are called strake-nails and occasionally, it seems, cart-nails, great nails, or frets."
- 2 thick plank forming a ridge along the side of a wooden ship wordnet
- 3 A type of aerodynamic surface mounted on an aircraft fuselage to fine-tune the airflow.
- 4 Also used more generally to regulate fluid flow in pipes or vents to prevent turbulence or vortexes.
- 5 A continuous line of plates or planks running from bow to stern that contributes to a vessel's skin. (FM 55-501).
"With regard to materials, all the frames should be of oak and so should the stem piece, stern post, upper portion of dead woods, knight heads, apron, beams, shelf clamp, bilge strakes, and keelson; the keel will generally be found to be either English or American elm. The garboard strakes are generally of American elm, and it is best that the planking above should be of American elm or oak to within a foot or so of the load water-line, and teak above to the covering board or deck edge."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A shaped piece of wood used to level a bed or contour the shape of a mould, as for a bell
- 7 A trough for washing broken ore, gravel, or sand; a launder.
- 8 A streak. obsolete
"And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut^([sic]) tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods."
Verb
- 1 To stretch. obsolete, transitive
- 2 simple past of strike form-of, obsolete, past
"Hayle Groome; didst not thou see a bleeding Hind, / Whose right haunch earst my stedfast arrow strake?"
Example
"The separate pieces of iron, forming together the fitting of the wheel, are called strakes, and the great nails by which they are fastened to the woodwork, and which had thick projecting heads, are called strake-nails and occasionally, it seems, cart-nails, great nails, or frets."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "strake"?
Common synonyms include: adhesive tape, band, bandage, batten, belt, companion.
How do you use "strake" in a sentence?
The separate pieces of iron, forming together the fitting of the wheel, are called strakes, and the great nails by which they are fastened to the woodwork, and which had thick projecting heads, are called strake-nails and occasionally, it seems, cart-nails, great nails, or frets.
How do you pronounce "strake"?
Pronounced /ˈstɹeɪk/.
Etymology
From Middle English strake, from Old English *straca (> Anglo-Latin straca), from Proto-West Germanic *strakō, from Proto-Germanic *strakaz (“straight”). Akin to Old English streċċan (“to make straight, stretch”).