Main Entry:

²strain

Function:

verb

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French estreindre, from Latin stringere to bind or draw tight, press together; akin to Greek strang-, stranx drop squeezed out, strangalē halter

Date:

14th century

transitive verb1 a: to draw tight : cause to fit firmly <strain the bandage over the wound> b: to stretch to maximum extension and tautness <strain a canvas over a frame>2 a: to exert (as oneself) to the utmost b: to injure by overuse, misuse, or excessive pressure <strained his back> c: to cause a change of form or size in (a body) by application of external force3: to squeeze or clasp tightly: as a: hug b: to compress painfully : constrict 4 a: to cause to pass through a strainer : filter b: to remove by straining <strain lumps out of the gravy>5: to stretch beyond a proper limit <that story strains my credulity>6obsolete : to squeeze out : extortintransitive verb1 a: to make violent efforts : strive <has to strain to reach the high notes> b: to pull against resistance <a dog straining at its leash> c: to contract the muscles forcefully in attempting to defecate —often used in the phrase strain at stool2: to pass through or as if through a strainer <the liquid strains readily>3: to make great difficulty or resistance : balk

— strain a point

: to go beyond a usual, accepted, or proper limit or rule