Pl. striæ. [L. stria a furrow, flute of a column. Cf. F. strie.]
1. Arch. A fillet between the flutes of columns, pilasters, and the like.
The accepted sense among architects, both French and English; but app. due to misunderstanding of Vitruvius, who uses the word for a flute of a column, or a facet of a column of polygonal section.
1563. Shute, Architect., D j b. The fifth parte is for Striæ, which are also called Femora.
1664. Evelyn, trans. Freart’s Parallel Archit., etc. 130. The Striæ … are those plain spaces between the Flutings in the Ionic, Doric, Corinthian and Composed Orders. Ibid. The Stria being commonly a third or fourth part of the widness of the Flutings, and diminishing with the Contraction of the Scapus, unless the Shaft be very high.
1771. W. Newton, trans. Vitruvius’ Archit., IV. iii. (1791), 78. The columns are to be wrought in twenty striæ, which, if made flat, form twenty angles, but, if they are hollowed, they are to be thus performed.
1836. Parker, Gloss. Archit. (1850), I. 449.
2. Chiefly in scientific use. A small groove, channel or ridge; a narrow streak, stripe or band of distinctive color, structure or texture; esp. one of two or of a series.
1673. Ray, Journ. Low C., 341. Rayes or ribs of stone (answering to the ridges or striæ of a cochle-shell).
1681. Grew, Musæum, I. § 5. iii. 113. The Scales … of the same Fish … have a great many exceeding small Striæ.
1698. T. Molyneux, in Phil. Trans., XX. 220. Nor can there be observed Rays, Furroughs, Striæ or any manner of Lines running along its [Giant’s Causeway stone] Superficies.
1728. Woodward, Nat. Hist. Fossils, I. I. 229. Three Crusts of an Hæmatites, adhering to each other, and cross’d with fine small Striæ.
1731. Miller, Gard. Dict., s.v. Malva, Each little Lodge appears most artificially jointed within the corresponding Striæ or Channels.
1783. M. Cutler, in Life, Jrnls. & Corr. (1888), II. 208. This vapor was of a bright color, without any tincture of red, and striated with very fine striæ.
1815. Stephens, in Shaw’s Gen. Zool., IX. I. 31. Neck on both sides with two striæ.
1823. W. Phillips, Introd. Min. (ed. 3), p. xcv. The slight channels occasionally observable on the planes of crystallized minerals are termed striæ.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. vii. 56. The dirt upon the surface of the ice was arranged in striæ.
1873. T. H. Green, Introd. Pathol. (ed. 2), 55. In hearts less affected, striæ of fat will be seen lying amongst the muscle.
1875. Bennett & Dyer, trans. Sachs’ Bot., 29. The one system, consisting of parallel striæ, is always cut by the other system, which also consists of parallel striæ.
b. Path. A linear hæmorrhagic macula.
1855. Dunglison, Med. Lex., Vibices,… Striæ,… large purple spots, like the marks produced by the strokes of a whip, which appear under the skin in certain malignant fevers.
c. Glass-manuf. An imperfection in the form of a streak or band.
1832. G. R. Porter, Porcelain & Gl., 248. Striæ are undulating appearances, perfectly vitrified, and equally transparent with any other part of the glass; they … result from a want of congruity in the composition of the particles which make up the substance.
1867–77. G. F. Chambers, Astron., VII. viii. 723. Air-bubbles, sand-holes, striæ, scratches [in the lens] are no doubt undesirable.
d. pl. Electr. The alternate bright and dark bands observed in vacuum-tubes (Geissler tubes) upon the passage of an electrical discharge.
1881. Spottiswoode, in Nature, 6 Oct., 549/2. When the pressure is considerably reduced, these blocks are replaced by the beautiful system of flakes or ‘striæ’ delineated. Ibid., 550/2. As the exhaustion proceeds the striæ become more and more separated…. At first mere flakes of light, they gradually increase in thickness.
1893. Sloane, Electr. Dict., 496. In Geissler tubes the light produced by the electric discharge is filled with striæ, bright bands alternating with dark spaces; these may be termed electric striæ.
