"Striate" is a semi-common word. Compared to simpler words like "stripe" and "streak," it's good for when you want to elevate your tone to sound serious, formal, artistic, or literary.

You could say that something is striated ("Her brown and white fur is striated"), or that something is striated with something else ("Her white fur is striated with brown").

Besides animals' fur, you might talk about striated hills, clouds, planets, marbles, rocks, gemstones, columns, walls and so on.

Feel free to get figurative. You might talk about a dinner date striated with awkward moments, or a happy childhood striated with migraines.

Notice that the past participle, "striated," is the most common way to use this word. It would be unusual, and therefore startling, to use "striate" as the main verb in a sentence. So when you want to startle your readers, go for it: "With the blinds half open, sunlight striates the wall."

"Some [of the paintings] seem to have bright sunlight streaming across them. Others are striated, as if a sunset or dawn was coming through Venetian blinds."
   — Christopher Knight, The New Yorker, 1 February 2016

"For [horseback riders'] families, the danger and injuries took their toll. In dreams, Helen Luther saw her husband's death play itself out countless times. In murky images, his horse would spiral into the ground, carrying Tommy under him, and Helen would wake into a life striated with fear."
  — Laura Hillenbrand, Seabiscuit, 1999

has this page helped you understand "striate"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "striate" without saying "furrow" or "streak."

try it out:

A writer for the New York Times praised an album by Sharon Van Etten, saying that its "delicate folk songs" are "striated with loneliness."

I take that to mean that although the songs are about lots of emotions, all through them are little streaks or stripes of loneliness.

With that in mind as an example, talk about another musical album, or some other creative work, like a film, a series, or a book, that seems "striated with" some particular emotion or theme.

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Recapitate the Headlines."

I'll give you some real but decapitated headlines, along with a selection of heads, and you try to reassemble them as they were originally published. (Or, feel free to play in "wrong answers only" mode, assembling the headlines in whatever way you find funniest.) You can check out some examples here.

Try this last set today:

    __________ being chopped down 6 times
    __________ biting colleagues
    __________ singing Nickelback

   B.C. camper heard yelling in the woods not in distress, just
   New York law firm fires summer intern for
   Toronto's Parkside Drive speed camera resurrected after

To see the correct versions, scroll all the way down.

review this word:

1. One opposite of STRIATED is

A. SOLID.
B. HEALED.
C. PIERCED.

2. Altostratus undulatus clouds are the kind that appear striated, _____.

A. like long wavy strips, or ripples in a pond
B. nearly uniform and seeming to be lit from within
C. formed into cute, puffy heaps, like a child would draw

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. A From the game: Toronto's Parkside Drive speed camera resurrected after being chopped down 6 times New York law firm fires summer intern for biting colleagues B.C. camper heard yelling in the woods not in distress, just singing Nickelback

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.