An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/streifen
streifen, verb, ‘to graze slightly, strip off,’ from Middle High German ströufen (stroufen), weak verb, besides which a rare form, striefen, ‘to skin, flay, chastise,’ occurs. Old High German *stroufen and Gothic *straupjan are also indicated by Dutch stroopen, ‘to strip, strip off leaves, make predatory excursions,’ Anglo-Saxon bestrŷpan, English to strip. Modern High German sträuben is also more remotely allied. Prehistoric cognates of the Teutonic root straup are wanting. For Modern High German ei, equivalent to Middle High German öu, see Schleife.