Strain (?), n. [See Strene.] 1. Race; stock; generation; descent; family.
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He is of a noble strain. Shak.
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With animals and plants a cross between different varieties, or between individuals of the same variety but of another strain, gives vigor and fertility to the offspring. Darwin.
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2. Hereditary character, quality, or disposition.
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Intemperance and lust breed diseases, which, propogated, spoil the strain of nation. Tillotson.
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3. Rank; a sort. “The common strain.” Dryden.
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4. (Hort.) A cultural subvariety that is only slightly differentiated.
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Strain (strān), v. i. 1. To make violent efforts. “Straining with too weak a wing.” Pope.
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To build his fortune I will strain a little. Shak.
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2. To percolate; to be filtered; as, water straining through a sandy soil.
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