An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/streichen

by Friedrich Kluge

streichen, verb, ‘to rub,’ from Middle High German strîchen, strong verb, ‘to smooth, make strokes, draw, rub, besmear,’ Old High German strîhhan, strong verb, ‘to rub.’ To this is allied the Modern High German weak verb streichen, from Middle High German streichen (Old High German streihhôn), weak verb, ‘to graze, touch, stroke,’ as well as Modern High German Streich, masculine, from Middle High German streich, masculine, ‘blow, cut, stroke,’ and Modern High German Strich, masculine, from Middle High German and Old High German strich, masculine, ‘stroke, line’ (compare Gothic striks). The correspondences in the other Teutonic dialects are Dutch strijken, Anglo-Saxon strîcan, English to strike (whence stroke). With the pre-Teutonic root strī̆g are connected Latin stringere, ‘to strip off, unsheath, touch, graze slightly,’ Latin striga, ‘stroke,’ Old Slovenian strigą (strišti), ‘to shear, cut off.’