Strain, n. 1. The act of straining, or the state of being strained. Specifically: —
(a) 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.
Whether any poet of our country since Shakespeare has exerted a greater variety of powers with less strain and less ostentation. Landor.
Credit is gained by custom, and seldom recovers a strain. Sir W. Temple.
(b) (Mech. Physics) A change of form or dimensions of a solid or liquid mass, produced by a stress. Rankine.
2. (Mus.) 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.
Their heavenly harps a lower strain began. Dryden.
3. 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. “A strain of gallantry.” Sir W. Scott.
Such take too high a strain at first. Bacon.
The genius and strain of the book of Proverbs. Tillotson.
It seems a novelty, and yet contains
Nothing but sound and honest gospel strains. Bunyan.
4. Turn; tendency; inborn disposition. Cf. 1st Strain.
Because heretics have a strain of madness, he applied her with some corporal chastisements. Hayward.