v. & n.
v. 1 tr. & intr. stretch tightly; make or become taut or tense. 2 tr. exercise (oneself, one's senses, a thing, etc.) intensely or excessively, press to extremes. 3 a intr. make an intensive effort. b intr. (foll. by after) strive intensely for (straining after perfection). 4 intr. (foll. by at) tug, pull (the dog strained at the leash). 5 intr. hold out with difficulty under pressure (straining under the load). 6 tr. a distort from the true intention or meaning. b apply (authority, laws, etc.) beyond their province or in violation of their true intention. 7 tr. overtask or injure by overuse or excessive demands (strain a muscle; strained their loyalty). 8 a tr. clear (a liquid) of solid matter by passing it through a sieve etc. b tr. (foll. by out) filter (solids) out from a liquid. c intr. (of a liquid) percolate. 9 tr. hug or squeeze tightly. 10 tr. use (one's ears, eyes, voice, etc.) to the best of one's power.
n. 1 a the act or an instance of straining. b the force exerted in this. 2 an injury caused by straining a muscle etc. 3 a a severe demand on physical strength or resources. b the exertion needed to meet this (is suffering from strain). 4 (in sing. or pl.) a snatch or spell of music or poetry. 5 a tone or tendency in speech or writing (more in the same strain). 6 Physics a the condition of a body subjected to stress; molecular displacement. b a quantity measuring this, equal to the amount of deformation usu. divided by the original dimension. at strain (or full strain) exerted to the utmost. strain every nerve make every possible effort. strain oneself 1 injure oneself by effort. 2 make undue efforts. strainable adj.
[ ME f. OF estreindre estreign- f. L stringere strict- draw tight ]