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Webster 1913 Edition

Strain

Strain

,
Noun.
[See
Strene
.]
1.
Race; stock; generation; descent; family.
He is of a noble
strain
.
Shakespeare
With animals and plants a cross between different varieties, or between individuals of the same variety but of another
strain
, gives vigor and fertility to the offspring.
Darwin.
2.
Hereditary character, quality, or disposition.
Intemperance and lust breed diseases, which, propogated, spoil the
strain
of nation.
Tillotson.
3.
Rank; a sort.
“The common strain.”
Dryden.

Strain

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Strained
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Straining
.]
[OF.
estraindre
,
estreindre
, F.
étreindre
, L.
stringere
to draw or bind tight; probably akin to Gr. [GREEK] a halter, [GREEK] that which is squeezwd out, a drop, or perhaps to E.
strike
. Cf.
Strangle
,
Strike
,
Constrain
,
District
,
Strait
,
Adj.
Stress
,
Strict
,
Stringent
.]
1.
To draw with force; to extend with great effort; to stretch;
as, to
strain
a rope; to
strain
the shrouds of a ship; to
strain
the cords of a musical instrument
.
“To strain his fetters with a stricter care.”
Dryden.
2.
(Mech.)
To act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as forces on a beam to bend it.
3.
To exert to the utmost; to ply vigorously.
He sweats,
Strains
his young nerves.
Shakespeare
They
strain
their warbling throats
To welcome in the spring.
Dryden.
4.
To stretch beyond its proper limit; to do violence to, in the matter of intent or meaning;
as, to
strain
the law in order to convict an accused person
.
There can be no other meaning in this expression, however some may pretend to
strain
it.
Swift.
5.
To injure by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force;
as, the gale
strained
the timbers of the ship
.
6.
To injure in the muscles or joints by causing to make too strong an effort; to harm by overexertion; to sprain;
as, to
strain
a horse by overloading; to
strain
the wrist; to
strain
a muscle
.
Prudes decayed about may track,
Strain
their necks with looking back.
Swift.
7.
To squeeze; to press closely.
Evander with a close embrace
Strained
his departing friend.
Dryden.
8.
To make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent effort; to force; to constrain.
He talks and plays with Fatima, but his mirth
Is forced and
strained
.
Denham.
The quality of mercy is not
strained
.
Shakespeare
9.
To urge with importunity; to press;
as, to
strain
a petition or invitation
.
Note, if your lady
strain
his entertainment.
Shakespeare
10.
To press, or cause to pass, through a strainer, as through a screen, a cloth, or some porous substance; to purify, or separate from extraneous or solid matter, by filtration; to filter;
as, to
strain
milk through cloth
.
To strain a point
,
to make a special effort; especially, to do a degree of violence to some principle or to one’s own feelings.
–
To strain courtesy
,
to go beyond what courtesy requires; to insist somewhat too much upon the precedence of others; – often used ironically.
Shak.

Strain

(strān)
,
Verb.
I.
1.
To make violent efforts.
“Straining with too weak a wing.”
Pope.
To build his fortune I will
strain
a little.
Shakespeare
2.
To percolate; to be filtered;
as, water
straining
through a sandy soil
.

Strain

,
Noun.
1.
The act of straining, or the state of being strained.
Specifically: –
(a)
A violent effort; an excessive and hurtful exertion or tension, as of the muscles;
as, he lifted the weight with a
strain
; the
strain
upon a ship's rigging in a gale;
also, the hurt or injury resulting; a sprain.
Whether any poet of our country since Shakespeare has exerted a greater variety of powers with less
strain
and less ostentation.
Landor.
Credit is gained by custom, and seldom recovers a
strain
.
Sir W. Temple.
(b)
(Mech. Physics)
A change of form or dimensions of a solid or liquid mass, produced by a stress.
Rankine.
2.
(Mus.)
A portion of music divided off by a double bar; a complete musical period or sentence; a movement, or any rounded subdivision of a movement.
Their heavenly harps a lower
strain
began.
Dryden.
3.
Any sustained note or movement; a song; a distinct portion of an ode or other poem; also, the pervading note, or burden, of a song, poem, oration, book, etc.; theme; motive; manner; style; also, a course of action or conduct;
as, he spoke in a noble
strain
; there was a
strain
of woe in his story; a
strain
of trickery appears in his career
.
“A strain of gallantry.”
Sir W. Scott.
Such take too high a
strain
at first.
Bacon.
The genius and
strain
of the book of Proverbs.
Tillotson.
It [Pilgrim's Progress] seems a novelty, and yet contains
Nothing but sound and honest gospel
strains
.
Bunyan.
4.
Turn; tendency; inborn disposition. Cf. 1st
Strain
.
Because heretics have a
strain
of madness, he applied her with some corporal chastisements.
Hayward.

Webster 1828 Edition

Strain

STRAIN

,
Verb.
T.
[L. This word retains its original signification, to stretch.]
1.
To stretch; to draw with force; to extend with great effort; as, to strain a rope; to strain the shrouds of a ship; to strain the chords of an instrument.
2.
To cause to draw with force, or with excess of exertion; to injure by pressing with too much effort. He strained this horses or his oxen by overloading them.
3.
To stretch violently or by violent exertion; as, to strain the arm or the muscles.
4.
To put to the utmost strength. Men in desperate cases will strain themselves for relief.
5.
To press or cause to pass through some porous substance; to purify or separate from extraneous matter by filtration; to filter; as, to strain milk. Water may be stained through sand.
6.
To sprain; to injure by drawing or stretching.
Prudes decayd about may tack, strain their necks with looking back.
7.
To make tighter; to cause to bind closer.
To strain his fetters with a stricter care.
8.
To force; to constrain; to make uneasy or unnatural.
His mirth is forced and strained.

STRAIN

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To make violent efforts.
To build his fortune I will strain a little.
Straining with too weak a wing.
2.
To be filtered. Water straining through sand becomes pure.

STRAIN

,
Noun.
1.
A violent effort; a stretching or exertion of the limbs or muscles, or of any thing else.
2.
An injury by excessive exertion, drawing or stretching.
3.
Style; continued manner of speaking or writing; as the genius and strain of the book of Proverbs. So we say, poetic strains, lofty strains.
4.
Song; note; sound; or a particular part of a tune.
Their heavenly harps a lower strain began.
5.
Turn; tendency; inborn disposition.
Because heretics have a strain of madness, he applied her with some corporal chastisements.
6.
Manner of speech or action.
Such take too high a strain at first.
7.
Race; generation; descent.
He is of a noble strain. [Not in use.]
8.
Hereditary disposition.
Intemperance and lust breed diseases, which propagated, spoil the strain of a nation. [Not in use.]
9.
Rank; character. [Not in use.]

Definition 2024

străin

străin

See also: strain

Romanian

Adjective

străin m, n ‎(feminine singular străină, masculine plural străini, feminine and neuter plural străine)

  1. foreign, strange

Declension

Synonyms

  • venetic

Noun

străin m ‎(plural străini)

  1. foreigner, alien

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology

From Latin extrāneus, through a Vulgar Latin [Term?] intermediate form.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /strəˈin/

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