stroke oar

Rowing: The after most oar in a boat, or the rower who pulls it; the strokes man. stroke, *strōak, *stroake, v . t . [A. S. strácian, from strác , pa. tense of strican to strike: German streicheln to stroke, from streichen to rub; Dut. strooken; Dan. stryge ; Sw. stryka .] I. Ordinary Language : 1. To rub gently with the hand to expre kindne or affection; to rub gently in one direction; to soothe. "They stroke her neck; the gentle heifer stands, And her neck offers to their stroking hands." Dryden: Ovid; Metamorphoses i. 2. To smooth; to rub down; as, stroking the beard. 3. To act as a strokes man to or in. "Bicknell, who has hitherto stroked the boat."-Field. Feb. 27, 1886. II. Masonry : To work the face of a stone so as to produce a sort of fluted surface. To stroke the wrong way of the hair: To ruffle, to annoy.