stria

[ strahy-uh ]

/ ˈstraɪ ə /

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noun, plural stri·ae

[strahy-ee]. /ˈstraɪ i/.

a slight or narrow furrow, ridge, stripe, or streak, especially one of a number in parallel arrangement: striae of muscle fiber.

Mineralogy. any of a series of parallel lines or tiny grooves on the surface of a crystal, indicative of the mode of growth.

Architecture. a flute on the shaft of a column.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of stria

1555–65; <Latin: furrow, channel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stria in a sentence

From this rim shelved down a smooth and polished base, marked with fine vertical striae.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
On the posterior margins of several operculars the striae break up into tubercles.
A New Genus of Pennsylvania Fish (Crossoperygii, Coelacanthiformes) from Kansas|Joan Echols
Ornamentation of the angular consists of tubercles and longitudinal or oblique striae, occurring mostly on the expanded portion.
A New Genus of Pennsylvania Fish (Crossoperygii, Coelacanthiformes) from Kansas|Joan Echols
It is essential that the condenser be white and limpid and free from defects or striae.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 2|Various

It must be clear, without striae, and there must be no strains in it, resulting from the final stirring and cooling.
America's Munitions 1917-1918|Benedict Crowell

British Dictionary definitions for stria

stria

/ (ˈstraɪə) /

noun plural striae (ˈstraɪiː) (often plural)

Also called: striation geology any of the parallel scratches or grooves on the surface of a rock caused by abrasion resulting from the passage of a glacier, motion on a fault surface, etc

fine ridges and grooves on the surface of a crystal caused by irregular growth

biology anatomy a narrow band of colour or a ridge, groove, or similar linear mark, usually occurring in a parallel series

architect a narrow channel, such as a flute on the shaft of a column

Word Origin for stria

C16: from Latin: a groove

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012