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straining

 [streyn]   Origin

strain

1   [streyn]
verb (used with object)
1.
to draw tight or taut, especially to the utmost tension; stretch to the full: to strain a rope.
2.
to exert to the utmost: to strain one's ears to catch a sound.
3.
to impair, injure, or weaken (a muscle, tendon, etc.) by stretching or overexertion.
4.
to cause mechanical deformation in (a body or structure) as the result of stress.
5.
to stretch beyond the proper point or limit: to strain the meaning of a word.
EXPAND
6.
to make excessive demands upon: to strain one's luck; to strain one's resources.
7.
to pour (liquid containing solid matter) through a filter, sieve, or the like in order to hold back the denser solid constituents: to strain gravy.
8.
to draw off (clear or pure liquid) by means of a filter or sieve: to strain the water from spinach; to strain broth.
9.
to hold back (solid particles) from liquid matter by means of a filter or sieve: to strain seeds from orange juice; to strain rice.
10.
to clasp tightly in the arms, the hand, etc.: The mother strained her child close to her breast.
11.
Obsolete. to constrain, as to a course of action.
COLLAPSE
verb (used without object)
12.
to pull forcibly: a dog straining at a leash.
13.
to stretch one's muscles, nerves, etc., to the utmost.
14.
to make violent physical efforts; strive hard.
15.
to resist forcefully; balk: to strain at accepting an unpleasant fact.
16.
to be subjected to tension or stress; suffer strain.
EXPAND
17.
to filter, percolate, or ooze.
18.
to trickle or flow: Sap strained from the bark.
COLLAPSE

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Straining is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
noun
19.
any force or pressure tending to alter shape, cause a fracture, etc.
20.
strong muscular or physical effort.
21.
great or excessive effort or striving after some goal, object, or effect.
22.
an injury to a muscle, tendon, etc., due to excessive tension or use; sprain.
23.
Mechanics, Physics. deformation of a body or structure as a result of an applied force.
EXPAND
24.
condition of being strained or stretched.
25.
a task, goal, or effect accomplished only with great effort: Housecleaning is a real strain.
26.
severe, trying, or fatiguing pressure or exertion; taxing onus: the strain of hard work.
27.
a severe demand on or test of resources, feelings, a person, etc.: a strain on one's hospitality.
28.
a flow or burst of language, eloquence, etc.: the lofty strain of Cicero.
29.
Often, strains. a passage of melody, music, or songs as rendered or heard: the strains of the nightingale.
30.
Music. a section of a piece of music, more or less complete in itself.
31.
a passage or piece of poetry.
32.
the tone, style, or spirit of an utterance, writing, etc.: a humorous strain.
33.
a particular degree, height, or pitch attained: a strain of courageous enthusiasm.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English streinen (v.) < Old French estrein-, stem of estreindre to press tightly, grip < Latin stringere to bind, tie, draw tight. See stringent

Related forms
strain·ing·ly, adverb
strain·less, adjective
strain·less·ly, adverb

Synonyms
1. tighten. 3. Strain, sprain imply a wrenching, twisting, and stretching of muscles and tendons. To strain is to stretch tightly, make taut, wrench, tear, cause injury to, by long-continued or sudden and too violent effort or movement: to strain one's heart by overexertion, one's eyes by reading small print. To sprain is to strain excessively (but without dislocation) by a sudden twist or wrench, the tendons and muscles connected with a joint, especially those of the ankle or wrist: to sprain an ankle. 7. filter, sieve. 10. hug, embrace, press. 17. seep. 20. exertion. 22. wrench.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To straining
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

strain
"line of descent," O.E. strion, streon "gain, begetting," from P.Gmc. *streun- "to pile up," from PIE base *stere- "to spread, extend, stretch out" (see structure). Applied to animal species first in 1607.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

strain 2 (strān)
n.

  1. The collective descendants of a common ancestor; a race, stock, line, or breed.

  2. Any of the various lines of ancestry united in an individual or a family; ancestry or lineage.

  3. A group of organisms of the same species, having distinctive characteristics but not usually considered a separate breed or variety.

  4. An artificial variety of a domestic animal or cultivated plant.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
strain   (strān)  Pronunciation Key 


(click for larger image in new window)

  1. A group of organisms of the same species, sharing certain hereditary characteristics not typical of the entire species but minor enough not to warrant classification as a separate breed or variety. Resistance to specific antibiotics is a feature of certain strains of bacteria.

  2. The extent to which a body is distorted when it is subjected to a deforming force, as when under stress. The distortion can involve a change both in shape and in size. All measures of strain are dimensionless (they have no unit of measure). ◇ Axial strain is equal to the ratio between the change in length of an object and its original length. ◇ Volume strain is equal to the ratio between the change in volume of an object and its original volume. It is also called bulk strain. ◇ Shear strain is equal to the ratio between the amount by which an object is skewed and its length. Compare stress. See more at Hooke's law.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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