Etymology : Middle English streen progeny, lineage, from Old English strEon gain, acquisition; akin to Old High German gistriuni gain, Latin struere to heap up; more at STREW
Pronunciation : 'strAn
Function : noun
Date : 13th century
1. tension; pressure; exertion; sprain or other injury caused by excess stress on some part of the body; extreme emotional pressure; melody; tendency; character; lineage, ancestry; pedigree, breed. pull taut, stretch; injure a body part through overuse (especially a muscle); work very hard, exert oneself; filter through a sieve; deform, cause a change in shape or size. strain\strain\, n. (hort.) a cultural subvariety that is only slightly differentiated.strain \strain\ , n. [see:
strene.].
2. race; stock; generation; descent; family. he is of a noble strain. 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.
3. hereditary character, quality, or disposition. intemperance and lust breed diseases, which, propogated, spoil the strain of nation.
4. rank; a sort. "the common strain."strain \strain\, v. 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. a halter, that which is squeezwd out, a drop, or perhaps to e. strike. cf. strangle, strike, constrain, district, strait, a. stress, strict, stringent.].
5. 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.".
6. (mech.) to act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as forces on a beam to bend it.
7. to exert to the utmost; to ply vigorously. he sweats, strains his young nerves. they strain their warbling throats to welcome in the spring.
8. 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.
9. to injure by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force; as, the gale strained the timbers of the ship.
10. 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.
11. to squeeze; to press closely. evander with a close embrace strained his departing friend.
12. 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. the quality of mercy is not strained.
13. to urge with importunity; to press; as, to strain a petition or invitation. note, if your lady strain his entertainment.
14. 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.
15. Race; stock; generation; descent; family.
16. Hereditary character, quality, or disposition.
17. Rank; a sort.
18. 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.
19. To act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as forces on a beam to bend it.
20. To exert to the utmost; to ply vigorously.
21. 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.
22. To injure by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force; as, the gale strained the timbers of the ship.
23. 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.
24. To squeeze; to press closely.
25. To make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent effort; to force; to constrain.
26. To urge with importunity; to press; as, to strain a petition or invitation.
27. 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.
28. To make violent efforts.
29. To percolate; to be filtered; as, water straining through a sandy soil.
30. The act of straining, or the state of being strained.
31. 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.
32. A change of form or dimensions of a solid or liquid mass, produced by a stress.
33. 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.
34. 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.
35. Turn; tendency; inborn disposition.
36. Cf. 1st Strain.
37. A cultural subvariety that is only slightly differentiated. an intense or violent exertion deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces injury to a muscle ; results in swelling and pain nervousness resulting from mental stress; "his responsibilities were a constant strain"; "the mental strain of staying alert hour after hour was too much for him" use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity; "He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro"; "Don't strain your mind too much" stretch or force to the limit; "strain the rope".
38. 1. If strain is put on an organization or system, it has to do more than it is able to do. The prison service is already under considerable strain The vast expansion in secondary education is putting an enormous strain on the system. = pressure.
39. To strain something means to make it do more than it is able to do. The volume of scheduled flights is straining the air traffic control system = stretch.
40. Strain is a state of worry and tension caused by a difficult situation. She was tired and under great strain. the stresses and strains of a busy and demanding career. = stress.
41. If you say that a situation is a strain, you mean that it makes you worried and tense. I sometimes find it a strain to be responsible for the mortgage.
42. Strain is a force that pushes, pulls, or stretches something in a way that may damage it. Place your hands under your buttocks to take some of the strain off your back.
43. Strain is an injury to a muscle in your body, caused by using the muscle too much or twisting it. Avoid muscle strain by warming up with slow jogging.
44. If you strain a muscle, you injure it by using it too much or twisting it. He strained his back during a practice session.
45. If you strain to do something, you make a great effort to do it when it is difficult to do. I had to strain to hear They strained their eyes, but saw nothing.
46. When you strain food, you separate the liquid part of it from the solid parts. Strain the stock and put it back into the pan.
47. You can use strain to refer to a particular quality in someone's character, remarks, or work. There was a strain of bitterness in his voice. this cynical strain in the book.
48. A strain of a germ, plant, or other organism is a particular type of it. Every year new strains of influenza develop. see also:
eye strain, repetitive strain injury. In the physical sciences and engineering, a number that describes the relative deformation of elastic, plastic, and fluid materials under applied forces. It arises throughout the material as the particles of the material are displaced from their usual position. Normal strain is caused by forces perpendicular to planes or cross sections of the material, such as in a volume that is under pressure on all sides. Shear strain is caused by forces that are parallel to, and lie in, planes or cross sections, such as in a short metal tube that is twisted about its longitudinal axis. See also deformation and flow.