strain

/stˈɹeɪn/STRAYN

Meaningto draw tight

Common meaning: to pull tight

Other meanings: stress or effort

strainto draw tight, bindLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1766 · scan

Journey through time

Latinstringō, strīnxī, strictum‘to draw tight, bind’
Old Frenchestraindresource
Middle Englishstreinensource
Englishstrain‘to pull tight’ · today

strain also in: strict district restrain constrain

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin stringō ‘to draw tight, bind’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry stringō, p. 1766 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry DISTRICT, p. 173 · dictionary scan

Roots

stringō, strīnxī, strictum Latin “to draw tight, bind”

Related words

constrain district restrain strict

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