A stroke or movement made in a downward direction, especially the downward motion of a pen in writing, a bow on a violin, or a piston in an engine.
Compound of 'down' and 'stroke' (Old English), used technically in writing, music, and mechanics since the 19th century.
Calligraphers and ancient scribes would press harder on downstrokes to create the elegant thick-and-thin line variation you see in fancy handwriting—the physics of gravity literally shaped how letters looked.
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