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strain
1[ streyn ]
/ streɪn /
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verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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Origin of strain
1First recorded in1250–1300; Middle English streinen (verb), from Old French estrein-, stem of estreindre “to press tightly, grip,” from Latin stringere “to bind, tie, draw tight.” See stringent
synonym study for strain
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.
OTHER WORDS FROM strain
strain·ing·ly, adverbstrainless, adjectivestrain·less·ly, adverbWords nearby strain
Other definitions for strain (2 of 2)
strain2
[ streyn ]
/ streɪn /
noun
Origin of strain
2First recorded before 950; Middle English stren(e), streine “gain, acquisition; sexual intercourse, procreation,” Old English strēon, strīon
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use strain in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for strain (1 of 2)
strain1
/ (streɪn) /
verb
noun
Word Origin for strain
C13: from Old French estreindre to press together, from Latin stringere to bind tightly
British Dictionary definitions for strain (2 of 2)
strain2
/ (streɪn) /
noun
the main body of descendants from one ancestor
a group of organisms within a species or variety, distinguished by one or more minor characteristics
a variety of bacterium or fungus, esp one used for a culture
a streak; trace
archaic a kind, type, or sort
Word Origin for strain
Old English strēon; related to Old High German gistriuni gain, Latin struere to construct
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for strain (1 of 2)
strain 22
[ strān ]
n.
The collective descendants of a common ancestor; a race, stock, line, or breed.
Any of the various lines of ancestry united in an individual or a family; ancestry or lineage.
A group of organisms of the same species, having distinctive characteristics but not usually considered a separate breed or variety.
An artificial variety of a domestic animal or cultivated plant.
Medical definitions for strain (2 of 2)
strain 11
[ strān ]
v.
n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for strain
strain
[ strān ]
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.
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 © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.