Pa. t. strode, pa. pple. stridden. Forms: 1 strídan, 3 striden, 4 strid, (3rd pers. sing. strit), 4–6 stryd(e, 5 strydyn, 4– stride. Pa. t. 4–9 north. strade, 5 Sc. straid, 5, 7 strad, 6 Sc. straide, 6 stryd, 7 strid, 7–9 strided, 5– strode. Pa. pple. 6 stridde, 7 strid, 9– stridden. [OE. strídan str. vb. (once only, but cf. bestrídan, found once in pa. t. bestrád: see BESTRIDE v.) = (M)LG. strîden str. vb., to set the legs wide apart, straddle, to take long steps; cf. LG. bestriden to bestride (a horse). The vb. is not found elsewhere in Teut. with similar sense, but is formally coincident and prob. identical with the str. vb. meaning to strive, quarrel: OFris. strîda, (M)Du. strijden, MLG. strîden, OHG. strîtan (MHG. strîten, mod.G. streiten); of the same or similar meaning are the weak verbs, OS. strîdian (MLG. strîden), ON. strîða (Norw., Sw. strida; Da. stride is now conjugated strong); cf. OFris., OS. strîd, Du. strijd, OHG. strît (mod.G. streit) masc. strife, quarrel, ON. stríð neut. strife, grief, affliction (Norw., Sw., Da. strid), stríða fem. adversity, severity, strið-r stubborn, severe (Norw., Sw., Da. strid.]
The primary meaning of the Teut. root *strĭđ- is commonly assumed to be ‘contention’ or ‘strong effort.’ On this view the Eng. sense of the vb., ‘to take long steps’ (sense 2 below), would be a development from the continental sense ‘to strive.’ This would in itself be possible, but sense 1 would remain unexplained. The assumption of a primary sense ‘to diverge’ (cf. Skr. sridh to go astray) would account plausibly on the one hand for the sense ‘to quarrel,’ and on the other hand for the sense ‘to straddle,’ from which the sense ‘to take long steps’ would be a natural development.
The recent examples show much uncertainty with regard to the conjugation. Perhaps (though this is far from certain) most people would give strode, stridden in answer to a grammatical question; but in actual speech and writing there is often hesitation as to the correct form. The pa. pple. rarely occurs; our material includes hardly any 19th- or 20th-c. examples of stridden, and not many of strided. In the pa. t. strode is certainly the usual form; but where the reference is to a single act and not to a manner of progression there seems to be a tendency to say strided (‘I strided over the ditch’).
† 1. intr. To stand or walk with the legs widely diverging; to straddle. Obs. in literal sense: cf. b.
c. 700. Epinal Gloss., 1086. Varicat, stridit [So Erfurt and Corpus; Leiden stridæd].
a. 1310. in Wright, Lyric P., xxxix. 110. Mon in the mone stond ant strit.
14[?]. Lat.-Eng. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 579/8. Distrigio, to stryde.
1530. Palsgr., 738/2. I stryde I stond a stridlyng with my legges, je me escarquylle. Stryde and I will dryve thes schepe betwene thy legges.
1577. B. Googe, Heresbach’s Husb., III. 115 b. If wee assaye to take vp a thing from the ground, stryding, and not with our legges together, wee take it vp with more ease and strength.
a. 1585. Montgomerie, Flyting, 394. Some, on steid of a staig, ouer a starke monke straide.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., II. vii. 40. The gate was open, but therein did wait A sturdy villein, striding stiffe and bold.
1598. Stow, Surv., 69. When the great fenne or Moore … is frozen, many young men play vpon the yce, some stryding as wide as they may, doe slide swiftly.
1623. Cockeram, II. To Stride wide in going, diuaricate.
1638. W. Lisle, Heliodorus, X. 180. Then [he] strid, and strongly pight His feet on chosen ground, with armes out-right, Backe, necke, and shoulders bent.
b. transf. (Often said of an arch.)
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. ii. IV. Columnes, 201. Because th’ acute, and the rect-Angles too, Stride not so wide as obtuse Angles doe.
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, V. xix. 176. How many, but especially how high must the arches therein be, to stride over so vast a concavity?
1787. Burns, Written Kenmure Inn, 15. The arches, striding o’er the new-born stream.
1791. Cumberland, Observer, No. 143 V. 197. The bridge of Toledo, which proudly strides with half a dozen lofty arches over a stream scarce three feet wide.
1858. Hawthorne, Fr. & It. Jrnls. (1871), II. 238. An arched gateway … that … looked like a great short-legged giant striding over the street. Ibid. (1863), Our Old Home, Pilgr. Boston, I. 243. A Roman arch which … has been striding across the English street ever since the latter was a faint village path.
2. To walk with long or extended steps; to stalk.
Often with implication of haste or impetuosity, of exuberant vigor, or of haughtiness or arrogance.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 111. Here he cumeð stridende fro dune to dune, and ouer strit þe cnolles.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 10235. Ioachim … tilward þe auter can stride.
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 2194 (Dubl. MS.). Þen tenyd þe tebe folke … And withstode his strenth & strode to þe walles.
c. 1475. Rauf Coilȝear, 32. His steid aganis the storme staluartlie straid.
1650. Fuller, Pisgah, V. xix. 178. The going up to the Altar was not divided into steps … but that it heightened it self by insensible degrees,… so that the Priests, not striding, but pacing up thereon, were not necessitated to any divarication of their feet.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 676. The Monster moving onward came as fast, With horrid strides, Hell trembled as he strode.
1697. Dryden, Æneis, III. 880. But when our Vessels out of reach he found, He strided onward.
1735. Somerville, Chase, III. 276. The stately Elephant from the close Shade With Step majestick strides.
a. 1790. Burns, ‘My Harry was a gallant gay,’ i. My Harry was a gallant gay Fu’ stately strade he on the plain.
1791. Boswell, Johnson, an. 1768. He then rose up, strided to the fire, and stood for some time laughing and exulting.
1825. T. C. Croker, Fairy Leg. S. Irel., I. 153. With an air of becoming consequence, he strided out of the stable-yard.
1829. J. Sterling, Ess., etc. (1848), I. 78. He would have stridden among them without belonging to either faction.
1842. Tennyson, Morte d’Arthur, 181. But the other swiftly strode from ridge to ridge,… looking, as he walk’d, Larger than human on the frozen hills.
1848. Thackeray, Van. Fair, xxx. The hypocrite was … striding about the room, upsetting the chairs,… and showing other signs of great inward emotion.
1862. Miss Braddon, Lady Audley, ix. Mr. Talboys strode out of the room, banging the door after him.
b. with various advs. To stride out: to go with vigorous strides.
1581. Pettie, Guazzo’s Civ. Conv., III. (1586), 159. His sonne in law … used a slow and mincing pace, like a woman: his daughter … stryd out lustelie like a man.
1697. Dryden, Æneis, XII. 126. Striding on, with speedy Pace.
1798. Joanna Baillie, Tryal, IV. iii. Plays on Passions (1821), I. 274. Come away, uncle, and see him go down the back walk,… I’ll warrant you he’ll stride it away most nobly.
1837. Dickens, Pickw., ii. The officer whistled a lively air as he strode away.
1843. Carlyle, Past & Pr., II. x. Striding prosperously along.
1853. Lytton, My Novel, XII. vi. Randal stood still for a few moments as Harley strided on.
1915. Daily Tel., 5 May, 7/4. The going has seldom been better, and judging by the way the horses strode out they appreciated it in every way.
c. transf. and fig.
c. 1205. Lay., 17982. Þe leome gon striden a ueire seoue strengen.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 4105. Fifté shippes full shene strode fro þe depe.
1839. Lytton, Richelieu, I. i. 37. Midst Richelieu’s foes I’ll find some desperate hand To strike for vengeance, while we stride to power.
1884. C. H. Farnham, in Harper’s Mag., Feb., 393/2. The long low barns with great windmills striding through the air.
1886. Corbett, Fall of Asgard, I. 268. Five ships, each with forty oars swinging like music, were striding over the fjord.
¶ d. To step, tread. nonce-use.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., IV. viii. 37. They … kept on their readie way, With easie steps so soft as foot could stryde.
3. To take a long step; to advance the foot beyond the usual length of a step; to pass over or across an obstacle by a long step or by lifting the feet. Also in figurative context.
a. 1310. in Wright, Lyric P., xxxix. 111. Sete forth thyn other fot, stryd over sty.
a. 1320. Sir Tristr., 151. Ouer bord þai strade Al cladde.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 480/1. Strydyn (or steppyn ovyr a thynge) clunico, patento, strigio.
1530. Palsgr., 738/2. I stryde over a brooke or the canell or any fowle place as I am goyng, je jamboye.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit. (1637), 199. To stride over the rivelet there.
1611. Beaum. & Fl., Philaster, IV. iv. (1620), 51. When my fortunes eb’d, that men strid o’re them carelesse, She did showre her welcome graces on me, And did swell my fortunes.
1634–5. Brereton, Trav. (Chetham Soc.), 45. The lowest of these hedges higher than any man can stride over.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., V. xi. 400. They that stride so wide at once will go farre with few paces.
c. 1643. Ld. Herbert, Autobiog. (1824), 64. To teach men how far they may stretch out their Feet when they would make a Thrust … lest they either overstride themselves, or not striding far enough fail to bring the point of their weapon home.
1818. Maginn, in Blackw. Mag., IV. 321. A Gulliver chap such as I, That could stride over troops of their tribes.
1899. J. Milne, Romance of Pro-consul, ix. 89. The larger quarter-deck on to which Sir George Grey had stridden, much needed cleaning up.
b. With cognate obj.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 5194. Israel wit þis vplepp Þat moght noght forwit strid a step.
1661. J. Childrey, Brit. Baconica, 28. Ordulphus … was a Giant-like man, that (if William of Malmesbury say true) would break open the bars of Gates, and stride 10 foot.
1859. Tennyson, Marr. Geraint, 376. The Prince,… fain To follow, strode a stride, but Yniol caught His purple scarf … and said, ‘Forbear!’
† c. To mount (on a horse, into a stirrup). Obs.
a. 1300. in Wright, Anecd. Lit. (1844), 96. Love is stalewarde and strong for to striden on stede.
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 778. Ilk a hathill to hors hiȝis him be-lyue, Stridis into stele-bowe stertis apon loft. Ibid., 2880. He … Strad vp himselfe on a stede in starand wedis, And on a cursoure þe kniȝt with a collt foloȝes.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 10205. Achilles … wan to his armys, Strode on a stith horse, stroke into batell.
c. 1470. Golagros & Gaw., 616. On twa stedis thai straid.
† d. To put the foot down upon; to tread upon. Obs. rare.
1581. A. Hall, Iliad, VI. 104. But for to plucke his Iaueline out, he forced was to stride Vpon the carcasse [λὰξ ὲν στήθεσι βάς].
4. trans. To step over with a stride.
c. 1572. Gascoigne, Fruites Warre, cx. Where blockes are stridde by stumblers at a strawe.
1611. Shaks., Cymb., III. iii. 35. A Debtor, that not dares To stride a limit.
1682. Creech, Lucretius (1683), 167. That Man of such vast force and limbs did rise, That he could stride the Ocean.
1709. Congreve, trans. Ovid’s Art of Love, III. Wks. 1730, III. 310. Another, like an Umbrian’s sturdy Spouse, Strides all the Space her Petticoat allows.
1821. Clare, Vill. Minstr., II. 110. A hedge to clamber or a brook to stride.
transf. 1906. Westm. Gaz., 25 Sept., 7/1. I would place two wheels at the front and two at the rear, with a considerable gap under the middle of the engine. This gap would permit it to stride a curve if I may put it that way.
5. To walk about (a street, etc.) with long steps; to pace; hence, to measure by striding.
1577. Grange, Golden Aphrod., etc. R j. I stryde the streetes both long and wyde, A stealed sight of hir to haue.
1834. [see STRIDE sb. 2 c].
1850. H. Melville, White Jacket, II. xviii. 111. ‘Call all hands!’ roared the Captain. ‘This keel sha’n’t be beat while I stride it.’
1853. Lytton, My Novel, VIII. xii. Riccabocca … with a firm step strode the terrace, and approached his wife.
1915. Blackw. Mag., Feb., 229/1. The brave ghosts who stride these fields and live in the people’s mind are Englishmen.
6. To bestride.
13[?]. K. Horn, 753 (Harl. MS.). His stede he bigan stryde.
1599. George a Greene, B 1. They haue othe, Not to leaue one aliue that strides a launce.
1602. Chettle, Hoffman, IV. (1631), H 3 b. Some got on Rafts…; many strid the mast, But the seas working was soe violent, That [etc.].
1605. Shaks., Macb., I. vii. 22. Pitty, like a naked New-borne Babe, Striding the blast, or Heauens Cherubin, hors’d Vpon the sightlesse Curriors of the Ayre, Shall [etc.]. Ibid. (1607), Cor., I. ix. 71. I meane to stride your Steed.
1657. Billingsly, Brachy-Martyrol., II. vii. 171. The old man strides his horse, and rides to look him.
1735. Dyche & Pardon, Dict., Stride,… to throw the Legs over the two sides of a Thing, as a Horse, a Camel.
1820. Shelley, Prometh. Unb., IV. 421. The tempest is his steed, he strides the air.
1868. J. G. Holland, Kathrina, II. (1869), 103. E’en the prophet’s ass Had better eyes than he who strode his back.
