Chapter CDXXXV: Prologue (86)

STRAWBERRY Straw"ber*ry, n. Etym: [AS. streáwberige; streáw straw + berie berry; perhaps from the resemblance of the runners of the plant to straws.] (Bot.)

Defn: A fragrant edible berry, of a delicious taste and commonly of a red color, the fruit of a plant of the genus Fragaria, of which there are many varieties. Also, the plant bearing the fruit. The common American strawberry is Fragaria virginiana; the European, F. vesca. There are also other less common species. Strawberry bass. (Zoöl.) See Calico bass, under Calico. -- Strawberry blite. (Bot.) See under Blite. -- Strawberry borer (Zoöl.), any one of several species of insects whose larvæ burrow in the crown or roots of the strawberry vine. Especially: (a) The root borer (Anarsia lineatella), a very small dark gray moth whose larvæ burrow both in the larger roots and crown, often doing great damage. (b) The crown borer (Tyloderma fragariæ), a small brown weevil whose larva burrows in the crown and kills the plant. -- Strawberry bush (Bot.), an American shrub (Euonymus Americanus), a kind of spindle tree having crimson pods and the seeds covered with a scarlet aril. -- Strawberry crab (Zoöl.), a small European spider crab (Eurynome aspera); -- so called because the back is covered with pink tubercles. -- Strawberry fish (Zoöl.), the amadavat. -- Strawberry geranium (Bot.), a kind of saxifrage (Saxifraga sarmentosa) having reniform leaves, and producing long runners like those of the strawberry. -- Strawberry leaf. (a) The leaf of the strawberry. (b) The symbol of the rank or estate of a duke, because the ducal coronet is twined with strawberry leaves. "The strawberry leaves on her chariot panels are engraved on her ladyship's heart." Thackeray. -- Strawberry-leaf roller (Zoöl.), any one of several species of moths whose larvæ roll up, and feed upon, the leaves of the strawberry vine; especially, Phoxopteris fragariæ, and Eccopsis permundana. -- Strawberry moth (Zoöl.), any one of several species of moth whose larvæ feed on the strawberry vines; as: (a) The smeared dagger (Apatela oblinita), whose large hairy larva is velvety black with two rows of bright yellow spots on each side. (b) A geometrid (Angerona crocataria) which is yellow with dusky spots on the wings. Called also currant moth. -- Strawberry pear (Bot.), the red ovoid fruit of a West Indian plant of the genus Cereus (C. triangularia). It has a sweetish flavor, and is slightly acid, pleasant, and cooling. Also, the plant bearing the fruit. -- Strawberry sawfly (Zoöl.), a small black sawfly (Emphytus maculatus) whose larva eats the leaves of the strawberry vine. -- Strawberry tomato. (Bot.) See Alkekengi. -- Strawberry tree. (Bot.) See Arbutus. -- Strawberry vine (Bot.), the plant which yields the strawberry. -- Strawberry worm (Zoöl.), the larva of any moth which feeds on the strawberry vine.

STRAWBOARD Straw"board`, n.

Defn: Pasteboard made of pulp of straw.

STRAW-COLORED Straw"-col`ored, a.

Defn: Being of a straw color. See Straw color, under Straw, n.

STRAW-CUTTER Straw"-cut`ter, n.

Defn: An instrument to cut straw for fodder.

STRAWED Strawed,

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Straw. [Obs.]

STRAWWORM Straw"worm`, n.

Defn: A caddice worm.

STRAWY Straw"y, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to straw; made of, or resembling, straw. Shak.

STRAY Stray, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Strayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Straying.] Etym: [OF. estraier, estraer, to stray, or as adj., stray, fr. (assumed) L. stratarius roving the streets, fr. L. strata (sc. via) a paved road. See Street, and Stray, a.]

1. To wander, as from a direct course; to deviate, or go out of the way. Thames among the wanton valleys strays. Denham.

2. To wander from company, or from the proper limits; to rove at large; to roam; to go astray. Now, until the break of day, Through this house each fairy stray. Shak. A sheep doth very often stray. Shak.

3. Figuratively, to wander from the path of duty or rectitude; to err. We have erred and strayed from thy ways. While meaner things, whom instinct leads, Are rarely known to stray. Cowper.

Syn. -- To deviate; err; swerve; rove; roam; wander.

STRAY Stray, v. t.

Defn: To cause to stray. [Obs.] Shak.

STRAY Stray, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. estraié, p.p. of estraier. See Stray, v. i., and cf. Astray, Estray.]

Defn: Having gone astray; strayed; wandering; as, a strayhorse or sheep. Stray line (Naut.), that portion of the log line which is veered from the reel to allow the chip to get clear of the stern eddies before the glass is turned. -- Stray mark (Naut.), the mark indicating the end of the stray line.

STRAY Stray, n.

1. Any domestic animal that has an inclosure, or its proper place and company, and wanders at large, or is lost; an estray. Used also figuratively. Seeing him wander about, I took him up for a stray. Dryden.

2. The act of wandering or going astray. [R.] Shak.

STRAYER Stray"er, n.

Defn: One who strays; a wanderer.

STRE Stre, n.

Defn: Straw. [Obs.] Chaucer.

STREAK Streak, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Stretch, Streek.]

Defn: To stretch; to extend; hence, to lay out, as a dead body. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

STREAK Streak, n. Etym: [OE. streke; akin to D. streek a line, stroke, G. strich, AS. strica, Sw. strek, Dan. streg, Goth. stricks, and E. strike, stroke. See Strike, Stroke, n., and cf. Strake.]

1. A line or long mark of a different color from the ground; a stripe; a vein. What mean those colored streaks in heaven Milton.

2. (Shipbuilding)

Defn: A strake.

3. (Min.)

Defn: The fine powder or mark yielded by a mineral when scratched or rubbed against a harder surface, the color of which is sometimes a distinguishing character.

4. The rung or round of a ladder. [Obs.]

STREAK Streak, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Streaked; p. pr. & vb. n. Streaking.]

1. To form streaks or stripes in or on; to stripe; to variegate with lines of a different color, or of different colors. A mule . . . streaked and dappled with white and black. Sandys. Now streaked and glowing with the morning red. Prior.

2. With it as an object: To run swiftly. [Colloq.]

STREAKED Streaked, a.

1. Marked or variegated with stripes.

2. Uncomfortable; out of sorts. [Local, U.S.]

STREAKY Streak"y, a.

Defn: Same as Streaked, 1. "The streaky west." Cowper.

STREAM Stream, n. Etym: [AS. streám; akin to OFries. stram, OS. strom, D. stroom, G. strom, OHG. stroum, str, Dan. & Sw. ström, Icel. straumr, Ir. sroth, Lith. srove, Russ. struia, Gr. sru. *174. Cf. Catarrh, Diarrhea, Rheum, Rhythm.]

1. A current water or other fluid; a liquid flowing continuously in a line or course, either on the earth, as a river, brook, etc., or from a vessel, reservoir, or fountain; specifically, any course of running water; as, many streams are blended in the Mississippi; gas and steam came from the earth in streams; a stream of molten lead from a furnace; a stream of lava from a volcano.

2. A beam or ray of light. "Sun streams." Chaucer.

3. Anything issuing or moving with continued succession of parts; as, a stream of words; a stream of sand. "The stream of beneficence." Atterbury. "The stream of emigration." Macaulay.

4. A continued current or course; as, a stream of weather. "The very stream of his life." Shak.

5. Current; drift; tendency; series of tending or moving causes; as, the stream of opinions or manners. Gulf stream. See under Gulf. -- Stream anchor, Stream cable. (Naut.) See under Anchor, and Cable. -- Stream ice, blocks of ice floating in a mass together in some definite direction. -- Stream tin, particles or masses of tin ore found in alluvial ground; -- so called because a stream of water is the principal agent used in separating the ore from the sand and gravel. -- Stream works (Cornish Mining), a place where an alluvial deposit of tin ore is worked. Ure. -- To float with the stream, figuratively, to drift with the current of opinion, custom, etc., so as not to oppose or check it.

Syn. -- Current; flow; rush; tide; course. -- Stream, Current. These words are often properly interchangeable; but stream is the broader word, denoting a prevailing onward course. The stream of the Mississippi rolls steadily on to the Gulf of Mexico, but there are reflex currents in it which run for a while in a contrary direction.

STREAM Stream, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Streamed; p. pr. & vb. n. Streaming.]

1. To issue or flow in a stream; to flow freely or in a current, as a fluid or whatever is likened to fluids; as, tears streamed from her eyes. Beneath those banks where rivers stream. Milton.

2. To pour out, or emit, a stream or streams. A thousand suns will stream on thee. Tennyson.

3. To issue in a stream of light; to radiate.

4. To extend; to stretch out with a wavy motion; to float in the wind; as, a flag streams in the wind.

STREAM Stream, v. t.

Defn: To send forth in a current or stream; to cause to flow; to pour; as, his eyes streamed tears. It may so please that she at length will stream Some dew of grace into my withered heart. Spenser.

2. To mark with colors or embroidery in long tracts. The herald's mantle is streamed with gold. Bacon.

3. To unfurl. Shak. To stream the buoy. (Naut.) See under Buoy.

STREAM CLOCK Stream clock. (Physiol.)

Defn: An instrument for ascertaining the velocity of the blood in a vessel.

STREAMER Stream"er, n.

1. An ensign, flag, or pennant, which floats in the wind; specifically, a long, narrow, ribbonlike flag. Brave Rupert from afar appears, Whose waving streamers the glad general knows. Dryden.

3. A stream or column of light shooting upward from the horizon, constituting one of the forms of the aurora borealis. Macaulay. While overhead the North's dumb streamers shoot. Lowell.

3. (Mining)

Defn: A searcher for stream tin.

STREAMFUL Stream"ful, a.

Defn: Abounding in streams, or in water. "The streamful tide." Drayton.

STREAM GOLD Stream gold. (Mining)

Defn: Gold in alluvial deposits; placer gold.

STREAMINESS Stream"i*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being streamy; a trailing. R. A. Proctor.

STREAMING Stream"ing, a.

Defn: Sending forth streams.

STREAMING Stream"ing, n.

1. The act or operation of that which streams; the act of that which sends forth, or which runs in, streams.

2. (Mining)

Defn: The reduction of stream tin; also, the search for stream tin.

STREAMLESS Stream"less, a.

Defn: Destitute of streams, or of a stream, as a region of country, or a dry channel.

STREAMLET Stream"let, n.

Defn: A small stream; a rivulet; a rill.

STREAM LINE Stream line.

Defn: The path of a constituent particle of a flowing fluid undisturbed by eddies or the like.

STREAMLINE Stream"line`, a.

Defn: Of or pert. to a stream line; designating a motion or flow that is free from turbulence, like that of a particle in a streamline; hence, designating a surface, body, etc., that is designed so as to afford an unbroken flow of a fluid about it, esp. when the resistance to flow is the least possible; as, a streamline body for an automobile or airship.

STREAM WHEEL Stream wheel.

Defn: A wheel used for measuring, by its motion when submerged, the velocity of flowing water; a current wheel.

STREAMY Stream"y, a.

1. Abounding with streams, or with running water; streamful. Arcadia However streamy now, adust and dry, Denied the goddess water. Prior.

2. Resembling a stream; issuing in a stream. His nodding helm emits a streamy ray. Pope.

STREE Stree, n.

Defn: Straw. [Obs.] Chaucer.

STREEK Streek, v. t.

Defn: To stretch; also, to lay out, as a dead body. See Streak. [Obs. or Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

STREEL Streel, v. i. Etym: [Cf. Stroll.]

Defn: To trail along; to saunter or be drawn along, carelessly, swaying in a kind of zigzag motion. [Colloq.] Thackeray.

STREEN Streen, n.

Defn: See Strene. [Obs.] Chaucer.

STREET Street, n. Etym: [OE. strete, AS. str, fr. L. strata (sc. via) a paved way, properly fem. p.p. of sternere, stratum, to spread; akin to E. strew. See Strew, and cf. Stratum, Stray, v. & a.]

Defn: Originally, a paved way or road; a public highway; now commonly, a thoroughfare in a city or village, bordered by dwellings or business houses. He removed [the body of] Amasa from the street unto the field. Coverdale. At home or through the high street passing. Milton.

Note: In an extended sense, street designates besides the roadway, the walks, houses, shops, etc., which border the thoroughfare. His deserted mansion in Duke Street. Macaulay. The street (Broker's Cant), that thoroughfare of a city where the leading bankers and brokers do business; also, figuratively, those who do business there; as, the street would not take the bonds. -- Street Arab, Street broker, etc. See under Arab, Broker, etc. -- Street door, a door which opens upon a street, or is nearest the street.

Syn. -- See Way.

STREETWALKER Street"walk`er, n.

Defn: A common prostitute who walks the streets to find customers.

STREETWARD Street"ward`, n.

Defn: An officer, or ward, having the care of the streets. [Obs.] Cowell.

STREETWARD Street"ward, a.

Defn: Facing toward the street. Their little streetward sitting room. Tennyson.

STREIGHT Streight, a., n., & adv.

Defn: See 2nd Strait. [Obs.]

STREIGHTEN Streight"en, v. t.

Defn: See Straiten. [Obs.]

STREIN Strein, v. t.

Defn: To strain. [Obs.] Chaucer.

STREIT Streit, a. Etym: [See Stretch.]

Defn: Drawn. [Obs.] Pyrrhus with his streite sword. Chaucer.

STREIT Streit, a.

Defn: Close; narrow; strict. [Obs.] See Strait.

STREITE Streite, adv.

Defn: Narrowly; strictly; straitly. [Obs.]

STRELITZ Strel"itz, n.sing. & pl. Etym: [Russ. strieliéts' a shooter, archer.]

Defn: A soldier of the ancient Muscovite guard or Russian standing army; also, the guard itself.

STRELITZIA Stre*litz"i*a, n. Etym: [NL., named after Charlotte, Princess of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and queen of George III of Great Britain.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of plants related to the banana, found at the Cape of Good Hope. They have rigid glaucous distichous leaves, and peculiar richly colored flowers.

STRENE Strene, n. Etym: [OE. stren, streen, streon, AS. gestriénan, gestr, gestreónan, to beget, to obtain, gestreón gain, wealth; akin to OHG. striunan to gain. Cf. Strian race, family.]

Defn: Race; offspring; stock; breed; strain. [Obs.] Chaucer.

STRENGER; STRENGEST Stren"ger, Stren"gest

Defn: , the original compar. & superl. of Strong. [Obs.] Two of us shall strenger be than one. Chaucer.

STRENGTH Strength, n. Etym: [OE. strengthe, AS. streng, fr. strang strong. See Strong.]

1. The quality or state of being strong; ability to do or to bear; capacity for exertion or endurance, whether physical, intellectual, or moral; force; vigor; power; as, strength of body or of the arm; strength of mind, of memory, or of judgment. All his [Samson's] strength in his hairs were. Chaucer. Thou must outlive Thy youth, thy strength, thy beauty. Milton.

2. Power to resist force; solidity or toughness; the quality of bodies by which they endure the application of force without breaking or yielding; -- in this sense opposed to frangibility; as, the strength of a bone, of a beam, of a wall, a rope, and the like. "The brittle strength of bones." Milton.

3. Power of resisting attacks; impregnability. "Our castle's strength will laugh a siege to scorn." Shak.

4. That quality which tends to secure results; effective power in an institution or enactment; security; validity; legal or moral force; logical conclusiveness; as, the strength of social or legal obligations; the strength of law; the strength of public opinion; strength of evidence; strength of argument.

5. One who, or that which, is regarded as embodying or affording force, strength, or firmness; that on which confidence or reliance is based; support; security. God is our refuge and strength. Ps. xlvi. 1. What they boded would be a mischief to us, you are providing shall be one of our principal strengths. Sprat. Certainly there is not a greater strength against temptation. Jer. Taylor.

6. Force as measured; amount, numbers, or power of any body, as of an army, a navy, and the like; as, what is the strength of the enemy by land, or by sea

7. Vigor or style; force of expression; nervous diction; -- said of literary work. And praise the easy vigor of a life Where Denham's strength and Waller's sweetness join. Pope.

8. Intensity; -- said of light or color. Bright Phoebus in his strength. Shak.

9. Intensity or degree of the distinguishing and essential element; spirit; virtue; excellence; -- said of liquors, solutions, etc.; as, the strength of wine or of acids.

10. A strong place; a stronghold. [Obs.] Shak. On, or Upon, the strength of, in reliance upon. "The allies, after a successful summer, are too apt, upon the strength of it, to neglect their preparations for the ensuing campaign." Addison.

Syn. -- Force; robustness; toughness; hardness; stoutness; brawniness; lustiness; firmness; puissance; support; spirit; validity; authority. See Force.

STRENGTH Strength, v. t.

Defn: To strengthen. [Obs.] Chaucer.

STRENGTHEN Strength"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Strengthened; p. pr. & vb. n. Strengthening.]

1. To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; as, to strengthen a limb, a bridge, an army; to strengthen an obligation; to strengthen authority. Let noble Warwick, Cobham, and the rest, . . . With powerful policy strengthen themselves. Shak.

2. To animate; to encourage; to fix in resolution. Charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him. Deut. iii. 28.

Syn. -- To invigorate; confirm; establish; fortify; animate; encourage.

STRENGTHEN Strength"en, v. i.

Defn: To grow strong or stronger. The young disease, that must subdue at length, Grows with his growth, and strengthens with his strength. Pope.

STRENGTHENER Strength"en*er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, gives or adds strength. Sir W. Temple.

STRENGTHENING Strength"en*ing, a.

Defn: That strengthens; giving or increasing strength. -- Strength"en*ing*ly, adv. Strengthening plaster (Med.), a plaster containing iron, and supposed to have tonic effects.

STRENGTHFUL Strength"ful, a.

Defn: Abounding in strength; full of strength; strong. -- Strength"ful*ness, n. Florence my friend, in court my faction Not meanly strengthful. Marston.

STRENGTHING Strength"ing, n.

Defn: A stronghold. [Obs.]

STRENGTHLESS Strength"less, a.

Defn: Destitute of strength. Boyle.

STRENGTHNER Strength"ner, n.

Defn: See Strengthener.

STRENGTHY Strength"y, a.

Defn: Having strength; strong. [Obs.]

STRENUITY Stre*nu"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. strenuatis.]

Defn: Strenuousness; activity. [Obs.] Chapman.

STRENUOUS Stren"u*ous, a. Etym: [L. strenuus; cf. Gr.

Defn: Eagerly pressing or urgent; zealous; ardent; earnest; bold; valiant; intrepid; as, a strenuous advocate for national rights; a strenuous reformer; a strenuous defender of his country. And spirit-stirring wine, that strenuous makes. Chapman. Strenuous, continuous labor is pain. I. Taylor. -- Stren"u*ous*ly, adv. -- Stren"u*ous*ness, n.

STREPENT Strep"ent, a. Etym: [L. strepens, p.pr. of strepere to make a noise.]

Defn: Noisy; loud. [R.] Shenstone.

STREPEROUS Strep"er*ous, a. Etym: [LL. streperus, fr. L. strepere. See Strepent, and cf. Obstreperous.]

Defn: Loud; boisterous. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

STREPITORES Strep`i*to"res, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. strepitus clamor.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A division of birds, including the clamatorial and picarian birds, which do not have well developed singing organs.

STREPSIPTER; STREPSIPTERAN Strep*sip"ter, Strep*sip"ter*an, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Strepsiptera.

STREPSIPTERA Strep*sip"te*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of small insects having the anterior wings rudimentary, and in the form of short and slender twisted appendages, while the posterior ones are large and membranous. They are parasitic in the larval state on bees, wasps, and the like; -- called also Rhipiptera. See Illust. under Rhipipter.

STREPSIPTEROUS Strep*sip"ter*ous, a. Etym: [See Strepsiptera.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to Strepsiptera.

STREPSORHINA Strep`so*rhi"na, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Lemuroidea.

STREPSORHINE Strep"so*rhine, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having twisted nostrils; -- said of the lemurs. -- n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Strepsorhina; a lemur. See Illust. under Monkey.

STREPTOBACTERIA Strep`to*bac*te"ri*a, n. pl.; sing. Streptobracterium (. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. bacteria.] (Biol.)

Defn: A so-called variety of bacterium, consisting in reality of several bacteria linked together in the form of a chain.

STREPTOCOCCUS Strep`to*coc"cus, n.; pl. Streptococci. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Biol.)

Defn: A long or short chain of micrococci, more or less curved.

STREPTONEURA Strep`to*neu"ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An extensive division of gastropod Mollusca in which the loop or visceral nerves is twisted, and the sexes separate. It is nearly to equivalent to Prosobranchiata.

STREPTOTHRIX Strep"to*thrix, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Biol.)

Defn: A genus of bacilli occurring of the form of long, smooth and apparently branched threads, either straight or twisted.

STRESS Stress, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. distress; or cf. OF. estrecier to press, pinch, (assumed) LL. strictiare, fr. L. strictus. See Distress.]

1. Distress. [Obs.] Sad hersal of his heavy stress. Spenser.

2. Pressure, strain; -- used chiefly of immaterial things; except in mechanics; hence, urgency; importance; weight; significance. The faculties of the mind are improved by exercise, yet they must not be put to a stress beyond their strength. Locke. A body may as well lay too little as too much stress upon a dream. L'Estrange.

3. (Mech. & Physics)

Defn: The force, or combination of forces, which produces a strain; force exerted in any direction or manner between contiguous bodies, or parts of bodies, and taking specific names according to its direction, or mode of action, as thrust or pressure, pull or tension, shear or tangential stress. Rankine. Stress is the mutual action between portions of matter. Clerk Maxwell.

4. (Pron.)

Defn: Force of utterance expended upon words or syllables. Stress is in English the chief element in accent and is one of the most important in emphasis. See Guide to pronunciation, §§ 31-35.

5. (Scots Law)

Defn: Distress; the act of distraining; also, the thing distrained. Stress of voice, unusual exertion of the voice. -- Stress of weather, constraint imposed by continued bad weather; as, to be driven back to port by stress of weather. -- To lay stress upon, to attach great importance to; to emphasize. "Consider how great a stress is laid upon this duty." Atterbury. -- To put stress upon, or To put to a stress, to strain.

STRESS Stress, v. t.

1. To press; to urge; to distress; to put to difficulties. [R.] Spenser.

2. To subject to stress, pressure, or strain.

STRESSFUL Stress"ful, a.

Defn: Having much stress. Rush.

STRETCH Stretch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stretched; p. pr. & vb. n. Stretching.] Etym: [OE. strecchen, AS. streccan; akin to D. strekken, G. strecken, OHG. strecchen, Sw. sträcka, Dan. strække; cf. AS. stræck, strec, strong, violent, G. strack straight; of uncertain origin, perhaps akin to E. strong. Cf. Straight.]

1. To reach out; to extend; to put forth. And stretch forth his neck long and small. Chaucer. I in conquest stretched mine arm. Shak.

2. To draw out to the full length; to cause to extend in a straight line; as, to stretch a cord or rope.

3. To cause to extend in breadth; to spread; to expand; as, to stretch cloth; to stretch the wings.

4. To make tense; to tighten; to distend forcibly. The ox hath therefore stretched his yoke in vain. Shak.

5. To draw or pull out to greater length; to strain; as, to stretch a tendon or muscle. Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve. Doddridge.

6. To exaggerate; to extend too far; as, to stretch the truth; to stretch one's credit. They take up, one day, the most violent and stretched prerogative. Burke.

STRETCH Stretch, v. i.

1. To be extended; to be drawn out in length or in breadth, or both; to spread; to reach; as, the iron road stretches across the continent; the lake stretches over fifty square miles. As far as stretcheth any ground. Gower.

2. To extend or spread one's self, or one's limbs; as, the lazy man yawns and stretches.

3. To be extended, or to bear extension, without breaking, as elastic or ductile substances. The inner membrane . . . because it would stretch and yield, remained umbroken. Boyle.

4. To strain the truth; to exaggerate; as, a man apt to stretch in his report of facts. [Obs. or Colloq.]

5. (Naut.)

Defn: To sail by the wind under press of canvas; as, the ship stretched to the eastward. Ham. Nav. Encyc. Stretch out, an order to rowers to extend themselves forward in dipping the oar.

STRETCH Stretch, n.

1. Act of stretching, or state of being stretched; reach; effort; struggle; strain; as, a stretch of the limbs; a stretch of the imagination. By stretch of arms the distant shore to gain. Dryden. Those put a lawful authority upon the stretch, to the abuse of yower, under the color of prerogative. L'Estrange.

2. A continuous line or surface; a continuous space of time; as, grassy stretches of land. A great stretch of cultivated country. W. Black. But all of them left me a week at a stretch. E. Eggleston.

3. The extent to which anything may be stretched. Quotations, in their utmost stretch, can signify no more than that Luther lay under severe agonies of mind. Atterbury. This is the utmost stretch that nature can. Granville.

4. (Naut.)

Defn: The reach or extent of a vessel's progress on one tack; a tack or board.

5. Course; direction; as, the stretch of seams of coal. To be on the stretch, to be obliged to use one's utmost powers. -- Home stretch. See under Home, a.

STRETCHER Stretch"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, stretches.

2. (Masonry)

Defn: A brick or stone laid with its longer dimension in the line of direction of the wall. Gwilt.

3. (Arch.)

Defn: A piece of timber used in building.

4. (Naut.) (a) A narrow crosspiece of the bottom of a boat against which a rower braces his feet. (b) A crosspiece placed between the sides of a boat to keep them apart when hoisted up and griped. Dana.

5. A litter, or frame, for carrying disabled, wounded, or dead persons.

6. An overstretching of the truth; a lie. [Slang]

7. One of the rods in an umbrella, attached at one end to one of the ribs, and at the other to the tube sliding upon the handle.

8. An instrument for stretching boots or gloves.

9. The frame upon which canvas is stretched for a painting.

STRETCHING Stretch"ing, a. & n.

Defn: from Stretch, v. Stretching course (Masonry), a course or series of stretchers. See Stretcher, 2. Britton.

STRETTO Stret"to, n. Etym: [It., close or contacted, pressed.] (Mus.) (a) The crowding of answer upon subject near the end of a fugue. (b) In an opera or oratorio, a coda, or winding up, in an accelerated time. [Written also stretta.]

STREW Strew, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Strewed; p. p. strewn; p. pr. & vb. n. Strewing.] Etym: [OE. strewen, strawen, AS. strewian, streówian; akin to Ofries. strewa, OS. strewian, D. strooijen, G. streuen, OHG. strewen, Icel. stra, Sw. strö, Dan. ströe, Goth. straujan, L. sternere, stratum, Gr. st. *166. Cf. Stratum, Straw, Street.]

1. To scatter; to spread by scattering; to cast or to throw loosely apart; -- used of solids, separated or separable into parts or particles; as, to strew seed in beds; to strew sand on or over a floor; to strew flowers over a grave. And strewed his mangled limbs about the field. Dryden. On a principal table a desk was open and many papers [were] strewn about. Beaconsfield.

2. To cover more or less thickly by scattering something over or upon; to cover, or lie upon, by having been scattered; as, they strewed the ground with leaves; leaves strewed the ground. The snow which does the top of Pindus strew. Spenser. Is thine alone the seed that strews the plain Pope.

3. To spread abroad; to disseminate. She may strew dangerous conjectures. Shak.

STREWING Strew"ing, n.

1. The act of scattering or spreading.

2. Anything that is, or may be, strewed; -- used chiefly in the plural. Shak.

STREWMENT Strew"ment, n.

Defn: Anything scattered, as flowers for decoration. [Obs.] Shak.

STREWN Strewn,

Defn: p. p. of Strew.

STRIA Stri"a, n.; pl. Striæ. Etym: [L., a furrow, channel, hollow.]

1. A minute groove, or channel; a threadlike line, as of color; a narrow structural band or line; a striation; as, the striæ, or groovings, produced on a rock by a glacier passing over it; the striæ on the surface of a shell; a stria of nervous matter in the brain.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: A fillet between the flutes of columns, pilasters, or the like. Oxf. Gloss.

STRIATE Stri"ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Striated; p. pr. & vb. n. Striating.] Etym: [See Striate, a.]

Defn: To mark with striaæ. "Striated longitudinally." Owen.

STRIATE; STRIATED Stri"ate, Stri"a*ted, a. Etym: [L. striatus, p.p. of striare to furnish with channels, from stria a channel.]

Defn: Marked with striaæ, or fine grooves, or lines of color; showing narrow structural bands or lines; as, a striated crystal; striated muscular fiber.

STRIATION Stri*a"tion, n.

1. The quality or condition of being striated.

2. A stria; as, the striations on a shell.

STRIATUM Stri*a"tum, n. Etym: [NL.] (Anat.)

Defn: The corpus striatum.

STRIATURE Stri"a*ture, n. Etym: [L. striatura.]

Defn: A stria.

STRICH Strich, n. Etym: [Cf. L. strix, strigs, a streech owl.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An owl. [Obs.] Spenser.

STRICK Strick, n.

Defn: A bunch of hackled flax prepared for drawing into slivers. Knight.

STRICKEN Strick"en, p. p. & a. from Strike.

1. Struck; smitten; wounded; as, the stricken deer.

Note: [See Strike, n.]

2. Worn out; far gone; advanced. See Strike, v. t., 21. Abraham was old and well stricken in age. Gen. xxiv. 1.

3. Whole; entire; -- said of the hour as marked by the striking of a clock. [Scot.] He persevered for a stricken hour in such a torrent of unnecessary tattle. Sir W. Scott. Speeches are spoken by the stricken hour, day after day, week, perhaps, after week. Bayne.

STRICKLE Stric"kle, n. Etym: [See Strike.]

1. An instrument to strike grain to a level with the measure; a strike.

2. An instrument for whetting scythes; a rifle.

3. (Founding)

Defn: An instrument used for smoothing the surface of a core.

4. (Carp. & Mason.)

Defn: A templet; a pattern.

5. An instrument used in dressing flax. [Prov. Eng.]

STRICKLER Stric"kler, n.

Defn: See Strickle.

STRICKLESS Strick"less, n.

Defn: See Strickle. [Prov. Eng.]

STRICT Strict, a. [Compar. Stricter; superl. Strictest.] Etym: [L. strictus, p.p. of stringere to draw or bind tight, to strain. See Strain, and cf. Strait, a.]

1. Strained; drawn close; tight; as, a strict embrace; a strict ligature. Dryden.

2. Tense; not relaxed; as, a strict fiber.

3. Exact; accurate; precise; rigorously nice; as, to keep strict watch; to pay strict attention. Shak. It shall be still in strictest measure. Milton.

4. Governed or governing by exact rules; observing exact rules; severe; rigorous; as, very strict in observing the Sabbath. "Through the strict senteries." Milton.

5. Rigidly; interpreted; exactly limited; confined; restricted; as, to understand words in a strict sense.

6. (Bot.)

Defn: Upright, or straight and narrow; -- said of the shape of the plants or their flower clusters.

Syn. -- Exact; accurate; nice; close; rigorous; severe. -- Strict, Severe. Strict, applied to a person, denotes that he conforms in his motives and acts to a principle or code by which he is bound; severe is strict with an implication often, but not always, of harshness. Strict is opposed to lax; severe is opposed to gentle. And rules as strict his labored work confine, As if the Stagirite o'erlooked each line. Pope. Soon moved with touch of blame, thus Eve: -"What words have passed thy lips, Adam severe!" Milton. The Strict Observance, or Friars of the Strict Observance. (R. C. Ch.) See Observance.

STRICTION Stric"tion, n. Etym: [L. strictio. See Stringent.]

Defn: The act of constricting, or the state of being constricted. Line of striction (Geom.), the line on a skew surface that cuts each generator in that point of it that is nearest to the succeeding generator.

STRICTLY Strict"ly, adv.

Defn: In a strict manner; closely; precisely.

STRICTNESS Strict"ness, n.

Defn: Quality or state of being strict.

STRICTURE Stric"ture, n. Etym: [L. strictura a contraction, from stringere, strictum, to draw tight: cf. F. stricture. See Strict.]

1. Strictness. [Obs.] A man of stricture and firm abstinence. Shak.

2. A stroke; a glance; a touch. [Obs.] Sir M. Hale.

3. A touch of adverse criticism; censure. [I have] given myself the liberty of these strictures by way of reflection on all and every passage. Hammond.

4. (Med.)

Defn: A localized morbid contraction of any passage of the body. Cf. Organic stricture, and Spasmodic stricture, under Organic, and Spasmodic. Arbuthnot.

STRICTURED Stric"tured, a. (Med.)

Defn: Affected with a stricture; as, a strictured duct.

STRID Strid, n. Etym: [See Stride.]

Defn: A narrow passage between precipitous rocks or banks, which looks as if it might be crossed at a stride. [Prov. Eng.] Howitt. This striding place is called the Strid. Wordsworth.

STRIDE Stride, v. t. [imp. Strode (Obs. Strid (); p. p. Stridden (Obs. Strid); p. pr. & vb. n. Striding.] Etym: [AS. stridan to stride, to strive; akin to LG. striden, OFries. strida to strive, D. strijden to strive, to contend, G. streiten, OHG. stritan; of uncertain origin. Cf. Straddle.]

1. To walk with long steps, especially in a measured or pompous manner. Mars in the middle of the shining shield Is graved, and strides along the liquid field. Dryden.

2. To stand with the legs wide apart; to straddle.

STRIDE Stride, v. t.

1. To pass over at a step; to step over. "A debtor that not dares to stride a limit." Shak.

2. To straddle; to bestride. I mean to stride your steed. Shak.

STRIDE Stride, n.

Defn: The act of stridding; a long step; the space measured by a long step; as, a masculine stride. Pope. God never meant that man should scale the heavens By strides of human wisdom. Cowper.

STRIDENT Stri"dent, a. Etym: [L. stridens, -entis, p.pr. of stridere to make a grating or creaking noise.]

Defn: Characterized by harshness; grating; shrill. "A strident voice." Thackeray.

STRIDOR Stri"dor, n. Etym: [L., from stridere to make any harsh, grating, or creaking sound.]

Defn: A harsh, shrill, or creaking noise. Dryden.

STRIDULATE Strid"u*late, v. t. Etym: [See Stridulous.]

Defn: To make a shrill, creaking noise; specifically (Zoöl.),

Defn: to make a shrill or musical sound, such as is made by the males of many insects.

STRIDULATION Strid`u*la"tion, n.

Defn: The act of stridulating. Specifically: (Zoöl.) (a) The act of making shrill sounds or musical notes by rubbing together certain hard parts, as is done by the males of many insects, especially by Orthoptera, such as crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts. (b) The noise itself.

Note: The crickets stridulate by rubbing together the strong nervures of the fore wings. Many grasshoppers stridulate by rubbing the hind legs across strong nervures on the fore wings. The green grasshoppers and katydids stridulate by means of special organs at the base of the fore wings.

STRIDULATOR Strid"u*la`tor, n. Etym: [NL.]

Defn: That which stridulates. Darwin.

STRIDULATORY Strid"u*la*to*ry, a.

Defn: Stridulous; able to stridulate; used in stridulating; adapted for stridulation. Darwin.

STRIDULOUS Strid"u*lous, a. Etym: [L. stridulus. See Strident.]

Defn: Making a shrill, creaking sound. Sir T. Browne. The Sarmatian boor driving his stridulous cart. Longfellow. Stridulous laryngitis (Med.), a form of croup, or laryngitis, in children, associated with dyspnoea, occurring usually at night, and marked by crowing or stridulous breathing.

STRIFE Strife, n. Etym: [OF. estrif. See Strive.]

1. The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [Archaic] Shak.

2. Exertion or contention for superiority; contest of emulation, either by intellectual or physical efforts. Doting about questions and strifes of words. 1 Tim. vi. 4. Thus gods contended -- noble strife -Who most should ease the wants of life. Congreve.

3. Altercation; violent contention; fight; battle. Twenty of them fought in this black strife. Shak. These vows, thus granted, raised a strife above Betwixt the god of war and queen of love. Dryden.

4. That which is contended against; occasion of contest. [Obs.] "Lamenting her unlucky strife." Spenser.

Syn. -- Contest; struggle; quarrel. See Contention.

STRIFEFUL Strife"ful, a.

Defn: Contentious; discordant. The ape was strifeful and ambitious. Spenser.

STRIGATE Stri"gate, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having transverse bands of color.

STRIGES Stri"ges, n. pl. Etym: [L., pl. of strix a streech owl; cf. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The tribe of birds which comprises the owls.

STRIGIL Strig"il, n. Etym: [L. strigilis, from stringere to graze, scrape.] (Gr. & Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: An instrument of metal, ivory, etc., used for scraping the skin at the bath.

STRIGILLOSE Strig"il*lose`, a. Etym: [Dim. fr. strigose.] (Bot.)

Defn: Set with stiff, slender bristles.

STRIGINE Stri"gine, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to owls; owl-like.

STRIGMENT Strig"ment, n. Etym: [L. strigmentum.]

Defn: Scraping; that which is scraped off. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

STRIGOSE Stri*gose", a. Etym: [Cf. F. strigueux. See Strigil.] (Bot.)

Defn: Set with stiff, straight bristles; hispid; as, a strigose leaf.

STRIGOUS Stri"gous, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Strigose. [R.]

STRIKE Strike, v. t. [imp. Struck; p. p. Struck, Stricken ( (Stroock (, Strucken (, Obs.); p. pr. & vb. n. Striking. Struck is more commonly used in the p.p. than stricken.] Etym: [OE. striken to strike, proceed, flow, AS. strican to go, proceed, akin to D. strijken to rub, stroke, strike, to move, go, G. streichen, OHG. strihhan, L. stringere to touch lightly, to graze, to strip off (but perhaps not to L. stringere in sense to draw tight), striga a row, a furrow. Cf. Streak, Stroke.]

1. To touch or hit with some force, either with the hand or with an instrument; to smite; to give a blow to, either with the hand or with any instrument or missile. He at Philippi kept His sword e'en like a dancer; while I struck The lean and wrinkled Cassius. Shak.

2. To come in collision with; to strike against; as, a bullet struck him; the wave struck the boat amidships; the ship struck a reef.

3. To give, as a blow; to impel, as with a blow; to give a force to; to dash; to cast. They shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two sideposts. Ex. xii. 7. Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow. Byron.

4. To stamp or impress with a stroke; to coin; as, to strike coin from metal: to strike dollars at the mint.

5. To thrust in; to cause to enter or penetrate; to set in the earth; as, a tree strikes its roots deep.

6. To punish; to afflict; to smite. To punish the just is not good, nor strike princes for equity. Prov. xvii. 26.

7. To cause to sound by one or more beats; to indicate or notify by audible strokes; as, the clock strikes twelve; the drums strike up a march.

8. To lower; to let or take down; to remove; as, to strike sail; to strike a flag or an ensign, as in token of surrender; to strike a yard or a topmast in a gale; to strike a tent; to strike the centering of an arch.

9. To make a sudden impression upon, as by a blow; to affect sensibly with some strong emotion; as, to strike the mind, with surprise; to strike one with wonder, alarm, dread, or horror. Nice works of art strike and surprise us most on the first view. Atterbury. They please as beauties, here as wonders strike. Pope.

10. To affect in some particular manner by a sudden impression or impulse; as, the plan proposed strikes me favorably; to strike one dead or blind. How often has stricken you dumb with his irony! Landor.

11. To cause or produce by a stroke, or suddenly, as by a stroke; as, to strike a light. Waving wide her myrtle wand, She strikes a universal peace through sea and land. Milton.

12. To cause to ignite; as, to strike a match.

13. To make and ratify; as, to strike a bargain.

Note: Probably borrowed from the L. foedus ferrire, to strike a compact, so called because an animal was struck and killed as a sacrifice on such occasions.

14. To take forcibly or fraudulently; as, to strike money. [Old Slang]

15. To level, as a measure of grain, salt, or the like, by scraping off with a straight instrument what is above the level of the top.

16. (Masonry)

Defn: To cut off, as a mortar joint, even with the face of the wall, or inward at a slight angle.

17. To hit upon, or light upon, suddenly; as, my eye struck a strange word; they soon struck the trail.

18. To borrow money of; to make a demand upon; as, he struck a friend for five dollars. [Slang]

19. To lade into a cooler, as a liquor. B. Edwards.

20. To stroke or pass lightly; to wave. Behold, I thought, He will . . . strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 2 Kings v. 11.

21. To advance; to cause to go forward; -- used only in past participle. "Well struck in years." Shak. To strike an attitude, To strike a balance. See under Attitude, and Balance. -- To strike a jury (Law), to constitute a special jury ordered by a court, by each party striking out a certain number of names from a prepared list of jurors, so as to reduce it to the number of persons required by law. Burrill. -- To strike a lead. (a) (Mining) To find a vein of ore. (b) Fig.: To find a way to fortune. [Colloq.] -- To strike a ledger, or an account, to balance it. -- To strike hands with. (a) To shake hands with. Halliwell. (b) To make a compact or agreement with; to agree with. -- To strike off. (a) To erase from an account; to deduct; as, to strike off the interest of a debt. (b) (Print.) To impress; to print; as, to strike off a thousand copies of a book. (c) To separate by a blow or any sudden action; as, to strike off what is superfluous or corrupt. -- To strike oil, to find petroleum when boring for it; figuratively, to make a lucky hit financially. [Slang, U.S.] -- To strike one luck, to shake hands with one and wish good luck. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl. -- To strike out. (a) To produce by collision; to force out, as, to strike out sparks with steel. (b) To blot out; to efface; to erase. "To methodize is as necessary as to strike out." Pope. (c) To form by a quick effort; to devise; to invent; to contrive, as, to strike out a new plan of finance. (d) (Baseball) To cause a player to strike out; -- said of the pitcher. See To strike out, under Strike, v. i. -- To strike sail. See under Sail. -- To strike up. (a) To cause to sound; to begin to beat. "Strike up the drums." Shak. (b) To begin to sing or play; as, to strike up a tune. (c) To raise (as sheet metal), in making diahes, pans, etc., by blows or pressure in a die. -- To strike work, to quit work; to go on a strike.

STRIKE Strike, v. i.

Defn: To move; to advance; to proceed; to take a course; as, to strike into the fields. A mouse . . . struck forth sternly [bodily]. Piers Plowman.

2. To deliver a quick blow or thrust; to give blows. And fiercely took his trenchant blade in hand, With which he stroke so furious and so fell. Spenser. Strike now, or else the iron cools. Shak.

3. To hit; to collide; to dush; to clash; as, a hammer strikes against the bell of a clock.

4. To sound by percussion, with blows, or as with blows; to be struck; as, the clock strikes. A deep sound strikes like a rising knell. Byron.

5. To make an attack; to aim a blow. A puny subject strikes At thy great glory. Shak. Struck for throne, and striking found his doom. Tennyson.

6. To touch; to act by appulse. Hinder light but from striking on it [porphyry], and its colors vanish. Locke.

7. To run upon a rock or bank; to be stranded; as, the ship struck in the night.

8. To pass with a quick or strong effect; to dart; to penetrate. Till a dart strike through his liver. Prov. vii. 23. Now and then a glittering beam of wit or passion strikes through the obscurity of the poem. Dryden.

9. To break forth; to commence suddenly; -- with into; as, to strike into reputation; to strike into a run.

10. To lower a flag, or colors, in token of respect, or to signify a surrender of a ship to an enemy. That the English ships of war should not strike in the Danish seas. Bp. Burnet.

11. To quit work in order to compel an increase, or prevent a reduction, of wages.

12. To become attached to something; -- said of the spat of oysters.

13. To steal money. [Old Slang, Eng.] Nares. To strike at, to aim a blow at. -- To strike for, to start suddenly on a course for. -- To strike home, to give a blow which reaches its object, to strike with effect. -- To strike in. (a) To enter suddenly. (b) To disappear from the surface, with internal effects, as an eruptive disease. (c) To come in suddenly; to interpose; to interrupt. "I proposed the embassy of Constantinople for Mr. Henshaw, but my Lord Winchelsea struck in." Evelyn. (d) To join in after another has begun,as in singing. -- To strike in with, to conform to; to suit itself to; to side with, to join with at once. "To assert this is to strike in with the known enemies of God's grace." South. To strike out. (a) To start; to wander; to make a sudden excursion; as, to strike out into an irregular course of life. (b) To strike with full force. (c) (Baseball) To be put out for not hitting the ball during one's turn at the bat. -- To strike up, to commence to play as a musician; to begin to sound, as an instrument. "Whilst any trump did sound, or drum struck up." Shak.

STRIKE Strike, n.

1. The act of striking.

2. An instrument with a straight edge for leveling a measure of grain, salt, and the like, scraping off what is above the level of the top; a strickle.

3. A bushel; four pecks. [Prov. Eng.] Tusser.

4. An old measure of four bushels. [Prov. Eng.]

5. Fullness of measure; hence, excellence of quality. Three hogsheads of ale of the first strike. Sir W. Scott.

6. An iron pale or standard in a gate or fence. [Obs.]

7. The act of quitting work; specifically, such an act by a body of workmen, done as a means of enforcing compliance with demands made on their employer. Strikes are the insurrections of labor. F. A. Walker.

8. (Iron Working)

Defn: A puddler's stirrer.

9. (Geol.)

Defn: The horizontal direction of the outcropping edges of tilted rocks; or, the direction of a horizontal line supposed to be drawn on the surface of a tilted stratum. It is at right angles to the dip.

10. The extortion of money, or the attempt to extort money, by threat of injury; blackmailing. Strike block (Carp.), a plane shorter than a jointer, used for fitting a short joint. Moxon. -- Strike of flax, a handful that may be hackled at once. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Chaucer. -- Strike of sugar. (Sugar Making) (a) The act of emptying the teache, or last boiler, in which the cane juice is exposed to heat, into the coolers. (b) The quantity of the sirup thus emptied at once.

STRIKER Strik"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, strikes; specifically, a blacksmith's helper who wieds the sledge.

2. A harpoon; also, a harpooner. Wherever we come to an anchor, we always send out our strikers, and put out hooks and lines overboard, to try fish. Dampier.

3. A wencher; a lewd man. [Obs.] Massinger.

4. A workman who is on a strike.

5. A blackmailer in politics; also, one whose political influence can be bought. [Political Cant]

STRIKING Strik"ing,

Defn: a. & n. from Strike, v. Striking distance, the distance through which an object can be reached by striking; the distance at which a force is effective when directed to a particular object. -- Striking plate. (a) The plate against which the latch of a door lock strikes as the door is closed. (b) A part of the centering of an arch, which is driven back to loosen the centering in striking it.

STRIKING Strik"ing, a.

Defn: Affecting with strong emotions; surprising; forcible; impressive; very noticeable; as, a striking representation or image; a striking resemblance. "A striking fact." De Quincey. -- Strik"ing*ly, adv. -- Strik"ing*ness, n.

STRIKLE Strik"le, n.

Defn: See Strickle.

STRING String, n. Etym: [OE. string, streng, AS. streng; akin to D. streng, G. strang, Icel. strengr, Sw. sträng, Dan. stræng; probably from the adj., E. strong (see Strong); or perhaps originally meaning, twisted, and akin to E. strangle.]

1. A small cord, a line, a twine, or a slender strip of leather, or other substance, used for binding together, fastening, or tying things; a cord, larger than a thread and smaller than a rope; as, a shoe string; a bonnet string; a silken string. Shak. Round Ormond's knee thou tiest the mystic string. Prior.

2. A thread or cord on which a number of objects or parts are strung or arranged in close and orderly succession; hence, a line or series of things arranged on a thread, or as if so arranged; a succession; a concatenation; a chain; as, a string of shells or beads; a string of dried apples; a string of houses; a string of arguments. "A string of islands." Gibbon.

3. A strip, as of leather, by which the covers of a book are held together. Milton.

4. The cord of a musical instrument, as of a piano, harp, or violin; specifically (pl.), the stringed instruments of an orchestra, in distinction from the wind instruments; as, the strings took up the theme. "An instrument of ten strings." Ps. xxx. iii. 2. Me softer airs befit, and softer strings Of lute, or viol still. Milton.

5. The line or cord of a bow. Ps. xi. 2. He twangs the grieving string. Pope.

6. A fiber, as of a plant; a little, fibrous root. Duckweed putteth forth a little string into the water, from the bottom. Bacon.

7. A nerve or tendon of an animal body. The string of his tongue was loosed. Mark vii. 35.

8. (Shipbuilding)

Defn: An inside range of ceiling planks, corresponding to the sheer strake on the outside and bolted to it.

9. (Bot.)

Defn: The tough fibrous substance that unites the valves of the pericap of leguminous plants, and which is readily pulled off; as, the strings of beans.

10. (Mining)

Defn: A small, filamentous ramification of a metallic vein. Ure.

11. (Arch.)

Defn: Same as Stringcourse.

12. (Billiards)

Defn: The points made in a game. String band (Mus.), a band of musicians using only, or chiefly, stringed instruments. -- String beans. (a) A dish prepared from the unripe pods of several kinds of beans; -- so called because the strings are stripped off. (b) Any kind of beans in which the pods are used for cooking before the seeds are ripe; usually, the low bush bean. -- To have two strings to one's bow, to have a means or expedient in reserve in case the one employed fails.

STRING String, v. t. [imp. Strung; p. p. Strung (R. Stringed); p. pr. & vb. n. Stringing.]

1. To furnish with strings; as, to string a violin. Has not wise nature strung the legs and feet With firmest nerves, designed to walk the street Gay.

2. To put in tune the strings of, as a stringed instrument, in order to play upon it. For here the Muse so oft her harp has strung, That not a mountain rears its head unsung. Addison.

3. To put on a string; to file; as, to string beads.

4. To make tense; to strengthen. Toil strung the nerves, and purified the blood. Dryden.

5. To deprive of strings; to strip the strings from; as, to string beans. See String, n., 9.

STRINGBOARD String"board`, n.

Defn: Same as Stringpiece.

STRINGCOURSE String"course`, n. (Arch.)

Defn: A horizontal band in a building, forming a part of the design, whether molded, projecting, or carved, or in any way distinguished from the rest of the work.

STRINGED Stringed, a.

1. Having strings; as, a stringed instrument. Ps. cl. 4.

2. Produced by strings. "Answering the stringed noise." Milton.

STRINGENCY Strin"gen*cy, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being stringent.

STRINGENDO Strin"gen*do, a. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)

Defn: Urging or hastening the time, as to a climax.

STRINGENT Strin"gent, a. Etym: [L. stringens, -entis, p.pr. of stringere to draw or bind tight. See Strain.]

Defn: Binding strongly; making strict requirements; restrictive; rigid; severe; as, stringent rules. They must be subject to a sharper penal code, and to a more stringent code of procedure. Macaulay. -- Strin"gent*ly, adv. -- Strin"gent*ness, n.

STRINGER String"er, n.

1. One who strings; one who makes or provides strings, especially for bows. Be content to put your trust in honest stringers. Ascham.

2. A libertine; a wencher. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

3. (Railroad)

Defn: A longitudinal sleeper.

4. (Shipbuilding)

Defn: A streak of planking carried round the inside of a vessel on the under side of the beams.

5. (Carp.)