|
| strain [ strayn ] (plural strains) |
noun |
|
| Definition: |
| |
1. line of ancestry: a line of ancestry or a group of descendants from a common ancestor
|
2. subgroup of organism: a subgroup of a species of organism distinguished by specific characteristics, sometimes developed by breeders for those characteristics
|
3. inherited quality or trait: an inherited tendency, character, or trait
|
4. trace: a trace of a particular and often unexpected quality or tone
  glimpsed a strain of impatience
|
5. character or mood: the style, character, mood, or theme of something
|
6. music musical theme: a musical theme or melody
|
7. eloquent language or words: language that is eloquent, passionate, poetic, or otherwise heightened
|
| [ Old English strēon "offspring," originally "gain" < Indo-European, "to spread flat"] |
