strain

1. n. Race; stock; generation; descent; family. Source: opted

2. n. Hereditary character, quality, or disposition. Source: opted

3. n. Rank; a sort. Source: opted

4. a. 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. Source: opted

5. a. To act upon, in any way, so as to cause change of form or volume, as forces on a beam to bend it. Source: opted

6. a. To exert to the utmost; to ply vigorously. Source: opted

7. a. 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. Source: opted

8. a. To injure by drawing, stretching, or the exertion of force; as, the gale strained the timbers of the ship. Source: opted

9. a. 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. Source: opted

10. a. To squeeze; to press closely. Source: opted

11. a. To make uneasy or unnatural; to produce with apparent effort; to force; to constrain. Source: opted

12. a. To urge with importunity; to press; as, to strain a petition or invitation. Source: opted

13. a. 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. Source: opted

14. v. i. To make violent efforts. Source: opted

15. v. i. To percolate; to be filtered; as, water straining through a sandy soil. Source: opted

16. n. The act of straining, or the state of being strained. Source: opted

17. n. 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. Source: opted

18. n. A change of form or dimensions of a solid or liquid mass, produced by a stress. Source: opted

19. n. 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. Source: opted

20. n. 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. Source: opted

21. n. Turn; tendency; inborn disposition. Cf. 1st Strain. Source: opted

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