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strain2

Syllabification: (strain)
Pronunciation: /strān/

Translate strain | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of strain

noun

  • 1a breed, stock, or variety of an animal or plant developed by breeding.
  • a natural or cultured variety of a microorganism with a distinct form, biochemistry, or virulence.
  • 2a particular tendency as part of a person’s character:there was a powerful strain of insanity on her mother’s side of the family
  • a variety of a particular abstract thing:a strain of feminist thought

Origin:

Old English strīon 'acquisition, gain', of Germanic origin; related to Latin struere 'to build up'

strain in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of strain in the British & World English dictionary

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