STRAIN, L. This word retains its original signification, to stretch.

1. To stretch to draw with force to extend with great effort as, to strain a rope to strain the shrouds of a ship to strain the chords of an instrument.
2. To cause to draw with force, or with excess of exertion to injure by pressing with too much effort. He strained this horses or his oxen by overloading them.
3. To stretch violently or by violent exertion as, to strain the arm or the muscles.
4. To put to the utmost strength. Men in desperate cases will strain themselves for relief.
5. To press or cause to pass through some porous substance to purify or separate from extraneous matter by filtration to filter as, to strain milk. Water may be stained through sand.
6. To sprain to injure by drawing or stretching.

Prudes decayd about may tack, strain their necks with looking back.

7. To make tighter to cause to bind closer.

To strain his fetters with a stricter care.

8. To force to constrain to make uneasy or unnatural.

His mirth is forced and strained.

STRAIN,

1. To make violent efforts.

To build his fortune I will strain a little.

Straining with too weak a wing.

2. To be filtered. Water straining through sand becomes pure.

STRAIN, n.

1. A violent effort a stretching or exertion of the limbs or muscles, or of any thing else.
2. An injury by excessive exertion, drawing or stretching.
3. Style continued manner of speaking or writing as the genius and strain of the book of Proverbs. So we say, poetic strains, lofty strains.
4. Song note sound or a particular part of a tune.

Their heavenly harps a lower strain began.

5. Turn tendency inborn disposition.

Because heretics have a strain of madness, he applied her with some corporal chastisements.

6. Manner of speech or action.

Such take too high a strain at first.

7. Race generation descent.

He is of a noble strain. Not in use.

8. Hereditary disposition.

Intemperance and lust breed diseases, which propagated, spoil the strain of a nation. Not in use.

9. Rank character. Not in use.