I. ˈstrān noun
Etymology: Middle English streen progeny, lineage, from Old English strēon gain, acquisition; akin to Old High German gi striuni gain, Latin struere to heap up — more at strew
Date: 13th century
1.
a. : lineage , ancestry
b. : a group of presumed common ancestry with clear-cut physiological but usually not morphological distinctions
a high-yielding strain of winter wheat
broadly : a specified infraspecific group (as a stock, line, or ecotype)
c. : kind , sort
discussions of a lofty strain
2.
a. : inherited or inherent character, quality, or disposition
a strain of madness in the family
b. : trace , streak
a strain of fanaticism
3.
a. : tune , air
b. : a passage of verbal or musical expression
c. : a stream or outburst of forceful or impassioned speech
4.
a. : the tenor, pervading note, burden, or tone of an utterance or of a course of action or conduct
b. : mood , temper
II. verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French estreindre, from Latin stringere to bind or draw tight, press together; akin to Greek strang-, stranx drop squeezed out, strangalē halter
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to draw tight : cause to fit firmly
strain the bandage over the wound
b. : to stretch to maximum extension and tautness
strain a canvas over a frame
2.
a. : to exert (as oneself) to the utmost
b. : to injure by overuse, misuse, or excessive pressure
strain ed his back
c. : to cause a change of form or size in (a body) by application of external force
3. : to squeeze or clasp tightly: as
a. : hug
b. : to compress painfully : constrict
4.
a. : to cause to pass through a strainer : filter
b. : to remove by straining
strain lumps out of the gravy
5. : to stretch beyond a proper limit
that story strain s my credulity
6. obsolete : to squeeze out : extort
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to make violent efforts : strive
has to strain to reach the high notes
b. : to pull against resistance
a dog strain ing at its leash
c. : to contract the muscles forcefully in attempting to defecate — often used in the phrase strain at stool
2. : to pass through or as if through a strainer
the liquid strain s readily
3. : to make great difficulty or resistance : balk
•
- strain a point
III. noun
Date: 1558
1. : an act of straining or the condition of being strained: as
a. : bodily injury from excessive tension, effort, or use
heart strain
especially : one resulting from a wrench or twist and involving undue stretching of muscles or ligaments
back strain
b. : excessive or difficult exertion or labor
c. : excessive physical or mental tension ; also : a force, influence, or factor causing such tension
a strain on the marriage
d. : deformation of a material body under the action of applied forces
2. : an unusual reach, degree, or intensity : pitch
3. archaic : a strained interpretation of something said or written