striation

noun stri·a·tion \ strī-ˈā-shən \

|Updated on: 7 Jul 2018

Definition of striation

1 a : the fact or state of being striated

b : arrangement of striations or striae

2 : a minute groove, scratch, or channel especially when one of a parallel series

3 : any of the alternate dark and light cross bands of a myofibril of striated muscle

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Recent Examples of striation from the Web

There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, not in the sense of the phrase, but actually not a single vapor formation — just striations of light to lighter blue lifting from the horizon.

— porter fox, New York Times, "On a Canoe Trip Along the U.S.-Canada Border, Solitude and Shooting Stars," 20 June 2018
Then, Frayer began to look at striations on Neanderthal teeth.

— gemma tarlach, Discover Magazine, "Was Science Wrong About Being Right?," 18 May 2018
Around the denser filament there appear to be striations in the gas that astronomers suspected might be caused by waves propagating through the cloud.

— daniel clery, Science | AAAS, "Scientists just 3D imaged the birthplace of stars—using sound," 10 May 2018
The high-quality photos speak loudly for their subjects, large and small — mountains and glaciers, wildlife, tiny flowers, striations on rock, bluest ice.

— nancy lord, Anchorage Daily News, "In ‘A Wild Promise,’ a wilderness area in limbo and a book with a mission," 19 May 2018
The blue halo is created by tiny, irregular striations—usually lined up in parallel fashion—and is found in all major groups of flowering plants pollinated by insects, the scientists report today in Nature.

— virginia morell, Science | AAAS, "Flower petals have ‘blue halos’ to attract bees," 18 Oct. 2017
The dashboard design is a mix of art deco striations, nicely textured knobs, LCD displays, and two knobs poking out from either side of the gauge hood (reminiscent of controls in the LFA supercar).

— john pearley huffman, Car and Driver, "2018 Lexus LS," 27 Sep. 2017
The front is marked by diagonal striations and the five Olympic rings.

— dan gartland, SI.com, "See the Newly Revealed 2018 Olympic Medals," 21 Sep. 2017
The canyon walls showed vertical striations of rock layers, even as small waterfalls poured down from above.

— chris mooney, Alaska Dispatch News, "Going through one of the most infamous – and narrow – straits of the Northwest Passage," 19 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'striation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of striation

circa 1847

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Medical Dictionary

striation

noun stri·a·tion \ strī-ˈā-shən \

medical Definition of striation

1 : the fact or state of being striated

2 : a minute groove, scratch, or channel especially when one of a parallel series

3 : any of the alternate dark and light cross bands of a myofibril of striated muscle

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striation

Definition of striation

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striation

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