English
strain
see also: Strain
Pronunciation
  • IPA: /stɹeɪn/
Etymology 1

From Middle English streen, strene, streon, istreon ("race, stock, generation"), from Old English strēon, ġestrēon ("gain, wealth"), from Proto-Germanic *streuną, from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (cognate with osx gistriuni, Old High German gistriuni, Latin strues).

Noun

strain (plural strains)

  1. (archaic) Race; lineage, pedigree.
    • 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act II, scene i]:
      He is of a noble strain.
    • 1859 November 23, Charles Darwin, “Natural Selection”, in On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, […], London: John Murray, […], →OCLC ↗, page 96 ↗:
      […] with animals and plants a cross between different varieties, or between individuals of the same variety but of another strain, gives vigour and fertility to the offspring; […]
  2. (biology) A particular variety of a microbe, virus, or other organism, usually a taxonomically infraspecific one.
    Coordinate terms: cultivar, quasispecies, variety
    They say this year's flu virus is a particularly virulent strain.
  3. (figurative) Hereditary character, quality, tendency or disposition.
    Synonyms: propensity, proneness
    There is a strain of madness in her family.
    • a. 1694, John Tillotson, The Advantages of Religion to Societies:
      Intemperance and lust breed diseases, which being propogated, spoil the strain of a nation.
  4. (music, poetry) 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, etc.
    Synonyms: theme, motive, manner, style
  5. Language that is eloquent, poetic, or otherwise heightened.
  6. (rare) A kind or sort (of person etc.).
    • 1693, Decimus Junius Juvenalis, John Dryden, transl., “[The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis.] The Fifth Satyr”, in The Satires of Decimus Junius Juvenalis. Translated into English Verse. […] Together with the Satires of Aulus Persius Flaccus. […], London: Printed for Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC ↗:
      the common strain
  7. (obsolete) Treasure.
  8. (obsolete) The blood-vessel in the yolk of an egg.
Related terms Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Etymology 2

From Middle English straynen, streinen, streynen, from Old French estreindre (whence French étreindre), from Latin stringō.

Verb

strain (strains, present participle straining; simple past and past participle strained)

  1. (transitive, obsolete) To hold tightly, to clasp.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗:
      So hauing said, her twixt her armes twaine / She straightly straynd, and colled tenderly […]
    • 1697, Virgil, “The Eighth Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC ↗:
      Evander with a close embrace / Strained his departing friend.
    • 1859, Ferna Vale, Natalie; or, A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds:
      "Farewell!"—the mother strained her child to her heart again, and again put her from her, to embrace her more closely.
  2. (transitive) To apply a force or forces to by stretching out.
    to strain a rope; to strain the shrouds of a ship
    Relations between the United States and Guatemala traditionally have been close, although at times strained by human rights and civil/military issues.
  3. (transitive) To damage by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force.
    The gale strained the timbers of the ship.
  4. (transitive) To act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as when bending a beam.
  5. (ambitransitive) To exert or struggle (to do something), especially to stretch (one's senses, faculties etc.) beyond what is normal or comfortable.
    Sitting in back, I strained to hear the speaker.
    • c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act I, scene i]:
      To build his fortune I will strain a little.
    • 1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene iii]:
      He sweats, / Strains his young nerves.
    • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight's Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC ↗:
      They strain their warbling throats / To welcome in the spring.
    • [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC ↗:
      Thus my plight was evil indeed, for I had nothing now to burn to give me light, and knew that 'twas no use setting to grout till I could see to go about it. Moreover, the darkness was of that black kind that is never found beneath the open sky, no, not even on the darkest night, but lurks in close and covered places and strains the eyes in trying to see into it.
  6. (transitive) To stretch beyond its proper limit; to do violence to, in terms of intent or meaning.
    to strain the law in order to convict an accused person
    • 1724, “Drapier's Letters”, in 4, Jonathan Swift:
      There can be no other meaning in this expression, however some may pretend to strain it.
  7. (transitive) To separate solid from liquid by passing through a strainer or colander.
  8. (intransitive) To percolate; to be filtered.
    water straining through a sandy soil
  9. (transitive) To make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent effort; to force; to constrain.
    • 1641 (first performance), [John Denham], The Sophy. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1667, →OCLC ↗, Act III, page 42 ↗:
      Prince. How does my Father? / Princeſs. Still talks and plays with Fatyma, but his mirth / Is forc'd and ſtrain'd: In his look appears / A wild diſtracted fierceneſs; […]
    • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene i]:
      The quality of mercy is not strained.
  10. (transitive) To urge with importunity; to press.
    to strain a petition or invitation
    • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act III, scene iii]:
      Note, if your lady strain his entertainment.
  11. (transitive) To hug somebody; to hold somebody tightly.
Translations Translations Translations Noun

strain

  1. The act of straining, or the state of being strained.
    • 1832, Charles Stewart Drewry (A.M.I.C.E.), A memoir on suspension bridges, page 183:
      If the Menai Bridge, for instance, were loaded at that rate, the entire strain on the main chains would be about 2000 tons ; while the chains containing 260 square inches of iron would bear, at 9 tons per square inch, 2340 tons, without stretching  ...
  2. A violent effort; an excessive and hurtful exertion or tension, as of the muscles.
    he jumped up with a strain
    the strain upon the sailboat's rigging
  3. An injury resulting from violent effort; a sprain.
  4. (uncountable, engineering) A dimensionless measure of object deformation either referring to engineering strain or true strain.
  5. (obsolete) The track of a deer.
Translations Translations Translations Translations Translations Related terms Etymology 3

From Middle English strenen, from Old English strēonan, strīenan, strȳnan, from Proto-Germanic *striunijaną.

Verb

strain (strains, present participle straining; simple past and past participle strained)

  1. (obsolete) To beget, generate (of light), engender, copulate (both of animals and humans), lie with, be born, come into the world.
    A man straineth, liveth, then dieth.
    Man, look at that cat straining that kitty.
    • 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC ↗, [Act IV, scene i], page 224 ↗, column 2:
      Sir, as I have a soul, ſhe is an Angell; / Our King has all the Indies in his Armes, / And more, and richer, when he ſtraines that Lady, / I cannot blame his Conſcience.
Strain
Proper noun
  1. Surname.


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