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strain
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English Dictionary: strain by the DICT Development Group
6 results for strain
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
strain
n
  1. (physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
  2. difficulty that causes worry or emotional tension; "she endured the stresses and strains of life"; "he presided over the economy during the period of the greatest stress and danger"- R.J.Samuelson
    Synonym(s): stress, strain
  3. a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; "she was humming an air from Beethoven"
    Synonym(s): tune, melody, air, strain, melodic line, line, melodic phrase
  4. (psychology) 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"
    Synonym(s): strain, mental strain, nervous strain
  5. a special variety of domesticated animals within a species; "he experimented on a particular breed of white rats"; "he created a new strain of sheep"
    Synonym(s): breed, strain, stock
  6. (biology) a group of organisms within a species that differ in trivial ways from similar groups; "a new strain of microorganisms"
    Synonym(s): form, variant, strain, var.
  7. injury to a muscle (often caused by overuse); results in swelling and pain
  8. the general meaning or substance of an utterance; "although I disagreed with him I could follow the tenor of his argument"
    Synonym(s): tenor, strain
  9. an effortful attempt to attain a goal
    Synonym(s): striving, nisus, pains, strain
  10. an intense or violent exertion
    Synonym(s): strain, straining
  11. the act of singing; "with a shout and a song they marched up to the gates"
    Synonym(s): song, strain
v
  1. to exert much effort or energy; "straining our ears to hear"
    Synonym(s): strive, reach, strain
  2. test the limits of; "You are trying my patience!"
    Synonym(s): try, strain, stress
  3. 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"
    Synonym(s): strain, extend
  4. separate by passing through a sieve or other straining device to separate out coarser elements; "sift the flour"
    Synonym(s): sift, sieve, strain
  5. cause to be tense and uneasy or nervous or anxious; "he got a phone call from his lawyer that tensed him up"
    Synonym(s): tense, strain, tense up
    Antonym(s): loosen up, make relaxed, relax, unlax, unstrain, unwind
  6. become stretched or tense or taut; "the bodybuilder's neck muscles tensed;" "the rope strained when the weight was attached"
    Synonym(s): strain, tense
  7. remove by passing through a filter; "filter out the impurities"
    Synonym(s): filter, filtrate, strain, separate out, filter out
  8. rub through a strainer or process in an electric blender; "puree the vegetables for the baby"
    Synonym(s): puree, strain
  9. alter the shape of (something) by stress; "His body was deformed by leprosy"
    Synonym(s): deform, distort, strain
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
   Strain \Strain\, n. (Hort.)
      A cultural subvariety that is only slightly differentiated.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
   Strain \Strain\, n. [See {Strene}.]
      1. Race; stock; generation; descent; family.
  
                     He is of a noble strain.                     --Shak.
  
                     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. [bd]The common strain.[b8] --Dryden.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
   Strain \Strain\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Strained}; p. pr. & vb. n.
      {Straining}.] [OF. estraindre, estreindre, F. [82]treindre,
      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}.]
      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. [bd]To
            strain his fetters with a stricter care.[b8] --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.   --Shak.
  
                     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. --Shak.
  
      9. To urge with importunity; to press; as, to strain a
            petition or invitation.
  
                     Note, if your lady strain his entertainment. --Shak.
  
      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.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
   Strain \Strain\ (str[amac]n), v. i.
      1. To make violent efforts. [bd]Straining with too weak a
            wing.[b8] --Pope.
  
                     To build his fortune I will strain a little. --Shak.
  
      2. To percolate; to be filtered; as, water straining through
            a sandy soil.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
   Strain \Strain\, n.
      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. [bd]A strain of gallantry.[b8] --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.
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