strain

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   Pressure or worry caused by a difficult situation.

   The long hours at work put a great strain on her health.

2. 2
   verb

   To make a great effort, often pushing your body or mind hard.

   We strained our ears to hear the faint music in the distance.

3. 3
   verb

   To injure a muscle by stretching or using it too much.

   He strained his back lifting the heavy boxes.

4. 4
   noun

   A particular type of a virus, bacteria, or other organism.

   Scientists are studying a new strain of the flu virus.

Common collocations

• strain one's voice Verb + noun

From Middle English streen, strene, streon, istreon (“race, stock, generation”), from Old English strēon, ġestrēon (“gain, wealth”), from Proto-Germanic *streuną (“heap, treasure, profit, gain”), from Proto-Indo-European *strew- (“to spread, strew”) (cognate with Old Saxon gistriuni, Old High German gistriuni (“gain, property, wealth, business”), Latin strues (“heap”)). Confused in Middle English with the related noun strend, strynd, strund, from Old English strȳnd (“race; stock”), from strēonan, strȳnan (“to beget; acquire”). Related also to Dutch struinen (“to prowl, root about, rout”).

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