Straining

How to spell straining

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce straining

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does straining mean?

1. verbMaking a great physical or mental effort, or stretching something close to its limit.
2. verbPassing a liquid through a sieve or mesh to separate out solids.

Straining in a sentence

• He was straining to lift the heavy crate onto the shelf.

• She was straining the pasta over the sink when the phone rang.

• The old engine was clearly straining under the extra load.

• Straining the stock removes the bones and vegetables before serving.

Where does straining come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the present participle of the verb 'strain', which entered English in the 1300s from Old French 'estreindre', meaning 'to bind, draw tight, or squeeze'. That French verb descended from the Latin 'stringere', which literally meant 'to draw tight, bind, or press together', the same root that gives us 'stringent', 'strict', and 'constrict'. The earliest English senses were about pulling something taut or pressing it forcibly, and from the idea of forcing a liquid through a narrow mesh came the cooking sense of separating solids from liquids. Over time the word broadened to cover bodily overexertion, as when muscles are stretched too far, and the abstract idea of testing something to its limits. The spelling keeps the Old French 'ai' vowel cluster, which is the usual trap, since the sound is a plain long 'a'.

How the word is built

• strain (to draw tight, stretch, exert)
• -ing (present participle/gerund suffix)