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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 (gcide)

Strain \Strain\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Strained}; p. pr. & vb. n.
{Straining}.] [OF. estraindre, estreindre, F. ['e]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. "To
strain his fetters with a stricter care." --Dryden.
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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.
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3. To exert to the utmost; to ply vigorously.
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He sweats,
Strains his young nerves. --Shak.
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They strain their warbling throats
To welcome in the spring. --Dryden.
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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.
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There can be no other meaning in this expression,
however some may pretend to strain it. --Swift.
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5. To injure by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of
force; as, the gale strained the timbers of the ship.
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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.
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Prudes decayed about may track,
Strain their necks with looking back. --Swift.
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7. To squeeze; to press closely.
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Evander with a close embrace
Strained his departing friend. --Dryden.
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8. To make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent
effort; to force; to constrain.
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He talks and plays with Fatima, but his mirth
Is forced and strained. --Denham.
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The quality of mercy is not strained. --Shak.
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9. To urge with importunity; to press; as, to strain a
petition or invitation.
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Note, if your lady strain his entertainment. --Shak.
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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.
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{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.
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Strain \Strain\, n. [See {Strene}.]
1. Race; stock; generation; descent; family.
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He is of a noble strain. --Shak.
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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.
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2. Hereditary character, quality, or disposition.
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Intemperance and lust breed diseases, which,
propogated, spoil the strain of nation. --Tillotson.
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3. Rank; a sort. "The common strain." --Dryden.
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4. (Hort.) A cultural subvariety that is only slightly
differentiated.
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Strain \Strain\, n.
1. The act of straining, or the state of being strained.
Specifically:
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(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.
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Whether any poet of our country since
Shakespeare has exerted a greater variety of
powers with less strain and less ostentation.
--Landor.
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Credit is gained by custom, and seldom recovers
a strain. --Sir W.
Temple.
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(b) (Mech. Physics) A change of form or dimensions of a
solid or liquid mass, produced by a stress. --Rankine.
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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.
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Their heavenly harps a lower strain began. --Dryden.
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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. "A strain of gallantry." --Sir W. Scott.
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Such take too high a strain at first. --Bacon.
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The genius and strain of the book of Proverbs.
--Tillotson.
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It [Pilgrim's Progress] seems a novelty, and yet
contains
Nothing but sound and honest gospel strains.
--Bunyan.
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4. Turn; tendency; inborn disposition. Cf. 1st {Strain}.
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Because heretics have a strain of madness, he
applied her with some corporal chastisements.
--Hayward.
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Strain \Strain\ (str[=a]n), v. i.
1. To make violent efforts. "Straining with too weak a wing."
--Pope.
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To build his fortune I will strain a little. --Shak.
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2. To percolate; to be filtered; as, water straining through
a sandy soil.
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