Forms: 1 strengðu, -o, strengð, strængð, strenð, strencð, oblique cases strengðe etc., 2–3 strengðe, 2 streongðe, streangðe, 2–5 strengþe, 2–6 strengthe, 2 streinðe, 2 (5 Sc.) streinþe, 3 strencðe, strenncþe (Orm.), strenðe, 3–4 strencþe, strencth, 3–5 strenkþe, 3–7 strenth, 4 strenþe, strinth(e, (strennthe, streinþ, streinthe), 4–6 strenthe, 4 strenȝt, 4–5 strenkith, -keþ, (4 strenket, 5 strenkit, -kyght, 4, 6 Sc. strynth, (4 -the), 4–6 strenght, (4 strengheth), 5 strengþ, streynth(e, streynght, stryngth(e, (strengyth, strentht, streyngthe, strayngth, streyint, strynt), 5–6 strenghth, (6 stranghth, streinght, stryncht, Sc. strainth, stryntht), 3– strength. [OE. stręngðu str. fem. = OHG. strengida:—Teut. type *straŋgiþō, f. *straŋgo- STRONG a.: see -TH1 b.]
1. The quality or condition of being strong.
a. Power of action in body or limbs; ability to exert muscular force.
In 15–18th c. the plural was often used after a plural possessive.
a. 1000. Ags. Ps. (Spelm.), cxlvi. 11. Na on strengðe horses willan habbað.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 6136. Edmond vor is strengþe [v.r. strenge] was ycluped yrensyde.
1303. R. Brunne, Handl. Synne, 3047. Ȝyf þou for strenkþe be mysproute, And hast bostful wrdys and loude.
a. 1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 5898. Þe gudes of kynd er bodily strenthe,… And delyvernes and bewte of body.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prol., 84. Of his stature he was of euene lengthe And wonderly delyuere and of greet strengthe.
c. 1400. Parce michi, 101, in 26 Pol. Poems, 146. Sampson loste hys streyngthe therfore.
14[?]. Lat. & Eng. Prov. (MS. Douce 52), 27. Strenghth mowes down þe medow.
c. 1470. Golagros & Gaw., 346. War al your strenthis in ane, In his grippis and ye gane, He wald ourcum yow ilkane.
1471. Caxton, Recuyell (Sommer), 242. He put hem a backe by naturell strength and force many tymes.
1577. B. Googe, trans. Heresbach’s Husb., I. 14. Some woorkes require strength more then skill.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., II. ii. 17. More huge in strength, then wise in workes he was.
1592. Soliman & Pers., I. iii. 5. Put Lambe-like mildenes to your Lyons strength.
1633. T. James, Voy., 49. We heaued to the vttermost of our strengths.
1661. Boyle, Style of Script., 248. The self same Nail must enter Lesse or Deeper according to the Strength of the Hand that Drives it in.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe, I. (Globe), 123. Getting one [sc. a block of wood] as big as I had Strength to stir, i rounded it.
1732. B. Robinson, Anim. Oecon., 100–1. A frequent Increase of this Force in Muscles much moved, must of Necessity increase both their Magnitudes and Strengths.
1736. Butler, Anal., I. iii. Wks. 1874, I. 62. Possibly the sum of the whole strength of brutes may be greater than that of mankind.
1817. Shelley, Rev. Islam, 2785. She grasped me with the strength Of madness.
1832. Brewster, Nat. Magic, x. 246. Dr. Desaguliers was convinced that his feats were exhibitions of skill and not of strength.
1868. Field, 4 July, 14/3. London rowed in very good form, but lacked strength and dash.
1888. F. Hume, Mme. Midas, I. Prol. You have strength, I have brains.
b. Bodily vigor in general; efficiency of the bodily powers; esp. in contrast with the weakness due to illness, fatigue, age, immaturity, etc.
† Also collect. pl. for sing.: cf. L. vires.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., II. 76. Swa swa se fulfremeda wæstm bið on fulre strencðe þeonde.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. VIII. 83. Olde Men and hore þat helples beoþ of strengþe.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxi. (Clement), 438. Þe fadyr þane strynth cane tyne. In swonyng þane he fel flat brad. Ibid., xxxi. (Eugenia), 274. Fevrys … þat trawalit hir hard & hat, & of strinthis mad hyr mat.
1490. Caxton, Eneydos, xxviii. 108. Dydo … thre tymes made her effort to reyse her self vpon her elbowe. But her strengthes … myght not therto suffyse.
1544. Betham, Precepts War, I. clxiv. H vj b. Sparyng nothynge, yt they maye be healed and may haue theyr strength restored.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., III. i. 42. It is but as a Body, yet distemper’d, which to his former strength may be restor’d, With good aduice, and little Medicine.
1618. W. Lawson, New Orch. & Gard. (1626), 16. I haue knowne a tree tainted in setting, yet grow, and beare blossomes … and yet for want of strength could neuer shape his fruit.
1662. J. Degravere, Thesaurus Remed. (ed. 2), 35. The full Dose is the whole Medicine, for Men and Women of strength.
1725. N. Robinson, Th. Physick, 173. At last, after many Fits and much enduring, the Hands tremble, the Strength fails, the Spirits sink.
1748. in Nairne Peerage Evid. (1874), 125. You may … assure Mrs. Brown that her son is recovering strength daily.
1776. Trial of Nundocomar, 32/2. He has not strength to undergo any examination, after the fatigue of bringing him to court.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., I. xi. 79. My strength was gone, and … I required to rest once more.
c. Power in general, whether physical, mental, or due to the possession of resources; ability for effective action; efficiency, vigor (of mental faculties, etc.).
a. 1000. Cædmon’s Gen., 950 (Gr.). Ac se weard [of Eden] hafað miht & strengðo.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 1014. Þat tu mahe stihen to understonden in him godes muchele strencðe.
c. 1320. Cast Love, 534. We [the Trinity] beoþ on in one fulnesse, In miht, in strengþe and in heiȝnesse.
138[?]. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 478. Þer wittes ben þinne, þer strynthe littel, þer tyme schort, to study and teche holy writte.
1551. T. Wilson, Logic, D j. The natural strength, is an aptnes of nature, geuen either to the body, or to the mynd.
1561. T. Hoby, trans. Castiglione’s Bk. Courtier, I. (1900), 28. To laye uppon me a burden that passeth my strengthe.
1562. Aberd. Kirk. Sess. Rec. (Spalding Club), 5. Quhow God suld be lowit,… wirshipped allanerlie, with the haill man, saull, hart, mynd, mycht, and stryncht.
1616. B. Jonson, Devil an Ass, I. i. 24. Foolish feind, Stay i’ your place, know your owne strengths, and put not Beyond the spheare of your actiuity.
1662. Gunning, Lent Fast, 51. As Nazianzen above attemperating his example to our strength.
1759. Johnson, Rasselas, viii. Discovering in me great strength of memory and quickness of apprehension.
1779. Mirror, No. 19. The natural strength of his understanding.
1838. Dickens, Nich. Nick., xxii. You could write us a piece to bring out the whole strength of the company.
1859. J. Martineau, Ess. (1866), I. 73. So far we think Mr. Mill’s strength as great here as elsewhere.
1894. Liddon, Life Pusey, I. i. 32. His strength lay in accurate verbal scholarship rather than in philosophy.
d. Capacity for moral effort or endurance; firmness (of mind, character, will, purpose); power to resist temptation or fulfil a difficult duty; † fortitude as one of the cardinal virtues.
In one’s own strength: in reliance on oneself and not on divine grace.
c. 900. Bæda’s Hist., I. ix. [xii.] (1890), 44, 46. Ac hi … lærdon þæt hi him … modes strengðo naman.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Hom., I. 44. Þa wearð se eadiʓa Stephanus mid Godes ʓife, and mid micelre strencðe afylled.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 155. Ah ure drihten … ȝeue us mihte and streinðe.
c. 1200. Ormin, 5519. Þe feorþe ȝife off Haliʓ Gast Iss strenncþe ȝæn þe deofell.
c. 1320. Cast. Love, 801. Foure vertues cardinals [þat] beoþ; þat is, strengþe and sleihschupe, Rihtfulnesse and worschupe.
a. 1350. S. Lucy, 155, in Horstm., Altengl. Leg. (1881), 18. Swilk strenkith god sent to hir.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., I. pr. iv. (1868), 13. Þo I þat hadde gadered strenkeþ in my corage answerede and seide [etc.]. Ibid. (c. 1386), Pars. T., 728. Agayns this horrible synne of Accidie … ther is a vertu, that is called fortitudo or strengthe.
1526. Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W., 1531), 138. The more perfytly the lyght of goostly strength shall shyne in vs.
1552. Abp. Hamilton, Catech. (1884), 8. Of hoip in our awin strenth.
1567. Gude & Godlie Ballatis (S.T.S.), 34. Faithfull is God, and on ȝow hes pietie, And will not thole ȝow temp[t]it for to be, Aboue ȝour strenth.
1592. Shaks., Rom. & Jul., IV. i. 72. If … Thou hast the strength of will to slay thy selfe.
1636. B. Jonson, Discov., init. He knows not his own strength, that hath not met adversity.
1675. J. Owen, Indwelling Sin, x. (1732), 116. This therefore ought a Believer diligently to attend unto, namely, That every thing he doth to God, be done in the Strength of Christ.
1779. Cowper, Human Frailty, 19. A stranger to superior strength, Man vainly trusts his own.
1855. Tennyson, Will, 11. But ill for him who, bettering not with time, Corrupts the strength of heaven-descended Will.
1902. Violet Jacob, Sheep-Stealers, xiii. Her overwrought mind was beginning to feel the influence of his quiet strength of purpose.
pl. 1653. Jer. Taylor, Serm. Golden Grove, Winter, v. 65. [Want of attendance to the sense and intention of our prayers] is only so remedyed as our prayers are made zealous, and our infirmities passe into the strengths of the Spirit.
e. Power of contending in warfare; now chiefly, military power derived from numbers, equipment, or resources.
a. 1122. O. E. Chron. (Laud. MS.), an. 1106. Ac seo streongðe & se siʓe wearð þæs cynges.
c. 1175. Lamb. Hom., 13. Ah ic eou ȝife siȝe and streinþe.
a. 1200. Vices & Virtues, 27. Ac ne mai non senne ne non dieuel habben strengþe aȝean ðessere gode ileaue.
c. 1250. Owl & Night., 1713. For mony mon myd speres orde haueþ lutle strengþe, & mid his schelde, Ah naþeles in one felde [etc.].
a. 1400–50. Wars Alex., 1013. [The old knights say] We may noȝt stand now in stede oure strenth is [to] febill.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xv. 69. By cause of ȝour ill liffing … and noȝt of oure strenth Godd has giffen it intill oure handes.
1425. Eng. Conq. Ireland (1896), 96. Men that … yn so fele Anguysshes with vs hath your streynth assayed, cometh forth, men!
1474. Caxton, Chesse, IV. ii. (1883), 168. For yf he [sc. the king] be taken or ded or ellis Inclusid and shette vp alle the strengthes of alle other faylle and alle Is fynyshid and loste.
c. 1511. 1st Eng. Bk. Amer. (Arb.), Introd. p. xxxiii/2. For if they sholde come out by there strength and hardynesse the[y] wolde conquere all the worlde.
1525. Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. ccxi. 270 b. They were desyrous to proue their strengthes agaynst the Christen men.
1592. Kyd, Span. Trag., I. iv. 15. Their fight was long,… Their strength alike, their strokes both dangerous.
1598. Grenewey, Tacitus, Ann., XI. v. (1622), 146. Declaring that the ancient liberty of Germany was taken from them, and that the Roman strength mastered all.
1792. Anecd. W. Pitt, III. xxxix. 51. If our people are united … we have an internal strength sufficient to repel any foreign invasion.
1818. J. T. Jones, Acc. War Sp. & Portugal, 423. Buonaparte was yet in strength to make face against the united armies of the remainder of Europe.
f. In a fortification, fortified place, etc.: Power of withstanding assault or capture.
c. 1375. Sc. Leg. Saints, xxxiii. (George), 67. He entre mycht nocht, for gret strinth & hicht of wal & gret ȝemesel of ȝettis al.
1523. Ld. Berners, Froiss., I. cccxciii. 274. Within the towne there was a mynster … the whiche they of the countrey had fortefyed, and there in they were, in trust of the strenght of ye place.
1562. Winȝet, Cert. Tractatis, Wks. (S.T.S.), I. 37. Quhat strenth had his armour of defence thair.
1585. T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., I. viii. 9. Enquiring of him what strength the tower might be of.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., III. iv. 7. This Arme, that hath reclaym’d To your obedience … seuen walled Townes of strength.
1617. Moryson, Itin., II. 20. To the natural strength of the place is added the art of interlacing the low bowes, and casting the bodies of trees acrosse the way.
1794. Mrs. Radcliffe, Myst. Udolpho, xxxi. ‘But they know not,’ thought she, ‘its strength, or the armed numbers within it’ [the castle].
1820. Scott, Monast., xxxv. He questioned him … concerning the Baron of Avenel’s probable forces—the strength of his castle [etc.].
1842. Borrow, Bible in Spain, xxxiv. Llanes is an old town, formerly of considerable strength.
g. In things, material or immaterial: Operative power; capacity for producing effects.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., I. 114. Wið attres strenðe ʓenim þas wyrte.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 649. Lauerd … ȝef swuch mahte & strengðe i mine wordes þat þeo … moten missen þrof.
c. 1400. Maundev. (Roxb.), xxvi. 125. My worde sall be of als grete strenth, and als scharpe and cherand, as my swerde.
c. 1440. Generydes, 6821. In strenthe or [? read of] erbys that ben profeitable, In them I knowe the vertu that is sure.
1569. Underdown, Ovid’s Invect. Ibis, Pref. A v b. There is no poyson, to the poyson of a Serpente, no strength, to the strength of Gunpouder.
1590. Shaks., Mids. N., III. ii. 250. Thy threats haue no more strength then her weak praise [Theobald prayers]. Ibid. (1611), Wint. T., IV. iv. 124. Pale Prime-roses, that dye vnmarried, ere they can behold Bright Phœbus in his strength.
1680. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., xii. 205. And by the force and strength of the Wedge, the whole Drill-bench is drawn down, and fastned athwart the Cleeks of the Lathe.
1695. Woodward, Nat. Hist. Earth, VI. (1723), 294. The Sun … (to speak in the Phrase of the Vulgar,…) hath gain’d a greater Strength.
1732. Pope, Ess. Man, II. 67. Most strength the moving principle requires; Active its task, it prompts, impels, inspires.
1781. Cowper, Flatting Mill, 4. When a bar of pure silver … is … roll’d In an engine of utmost mechanical strength.
1817. Shelley, Rev. Islam, 1569. Great is the strength Of words.
1882. G. M. Minchin, Unipl. Kinematics, vi. 167. The time rate of supply of liquid through the source is called the strength of the source.
† h. Validity, legal force. To bear strength: to be in force. To stand in its strength: to remain valid. Obs.
c. 1418. Lydg., Troy-bk., IV. 342. But wher so be þat he be lef or loth, Þer is no more; but in conclusioun, In his [= its] strengþe stood þe eleccioun.
1423. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 256/1. That this ordynaunce stretche and bere strenketh also wel wyth in Chesshire.
1439. E. E. Wills (1882), 122. Annuites…, wiche he will that thei stande yn their strenketh.
1448. in Willis & Clark, Cambridge (1886), II. 9. Then the forseid obligacion … stand in non strenketh nor effect, and elles yef hit be not fulfilled that then hit stand in strenketh and vertu.
1450. Rolls of Parlt., V. 186/2. That oure Graunt … be not prejudiced nor hurt, but stande in his strenght.
1538. Extracts Aberd. Reg. (1844), I. 159. And this my petitioune, be way of reconuentioune to haf the stryntht of ane borght, gyf neid beis.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 2/2. This rule … whiche shal remaine of strength vnto the worldes end.
1690. in Nairne Peerage Evid. (1874), 27. The haill … provisions … are declared to stand … in their full force strenth and effect.
i. Power to sustain the application of force without breaking or yielding.
c. 1384. Chaucer, H. Fame, 1980. And loo thys hous of which I write … Alle was the tymber of no strengthe Yet hit is founded to endure.
1667. Milton, P. L., I. 427. Spirits … Not ti’d or manacl’d with joynt or limb, Nor founded on the brittle strength of bones.
1727. Chambers, trans. Le Clerc’s Treat. Archit., 23. Were we only to have regard to the Laws of Strength and Weakness, we shou’d diminish the Entablements of Columns that have Pedestals, rather than those which have none.
1763. Mills, Pract. Husb., IV. 217. The bass used for this, or for any other binding, should be taken from a sound mat, and be soaked in water for some hours, to increase it’s strength.
1839. Penny Cycl., XV. 48/2. The strength of materials in resisting the strains to which they are subject.
1841. Civil Engin. & Arch. Jrnl., IV. 79. Tables … to facilitate the computation of the strength and dimensions of Girders, Bressummers, [etc.].
1842. Gwilt, Archit., § 1624. The primitive horizontal or transverse Strength of Oak is taken at 1000; its supporting or primitive vertical Strength at 807; and its cohesive or absolute Strength at 1821.
1876. Voyle & Stevenson, Milit. Dict., 427/2. Tensile strength as applied to iron, is its power to resist being torn asunder by a force exerted … in the direction of its length.
1883. M. P. Bale, Saw-Mills, 19. The strength of best oxhide belts, used for belting, has been calculated at about 3,086 lbs. per square inch of section.
1884. Sargent, Rep. Forests N. Amer., 252. The specimens tested for the purpose of determining the strength of the wood produced by the different trees.
fig. 1662. Stillingfl., Orig. Sacræ, I. i. § 20. If Procopius his pillar hath strength enough to bear such a conjecture.
j. Intensity and active force (of movement, wind, fire, a stream, current of electricity, or the like); intensity (of a physical condition, color, sound, etc.). † With strength: violently.
c. 1275. Passion of our Lord, 499, in O. E. Misc., 51. He schef hit [sc. the spear] myd strenkþe þat to his heorte hit com.
c. 1340. Richard Rolle of Hampole, Prick of Conscience, 3106. For þe fire here, of strenth es les Þan þe fire of purgatory es.
c. 1430. Hymns Virgin (1867), 120. Thorowe the strength off þe wynd Into the Welken hitt [the sea] schall slynge.
c. 1440. Alphabet of Tales (1904), 96. With strenthe of hur lowpyng þe bote drownyd.
1480. Rob. Devyll, 334, in Hazl., E. P. P., I. 232. So swyfte with strenght Robert dyd come, That hys speare ran thorowe the knyghtes bodye.
a. 1593. Marlowe, Ovid’s Eleg., I. ii. 11. I saw a brandisht fire encrease in strength.
1705. H. Blackwell, Engl. Fencing-Master, 8. For if a Thrust come to be forced, or with any Strength, the Parry is so narrow, that no Parade can be made.
a. 1719. Addison, Disc. Learning, Misc. Wks. 1914, II. 463. Thus has Time mellowed the Works of Antiquity, by qualifying, if I may so say, the Strength and Rawness of their Colours.
1727. P. Walker, Semple, Biog. Presbyt. (1827), I. 159. He entred in, and the Strength of Water carried him and his Horse beneath the Foord.
1815. J. Smith, Panorama Sci. & Art, II. 267. If the strength of the shock is found to give uneasiness, it may be moderated by [etc.]. Ibid., 757. The colour thus prepared produces a fine crimson,… its strength may be increased by adding more of the oxide of gold.
1832. Brewster, Nat. Magic, vi. 138. The strength of the image of the Castle so far obscured the background, that it made no sensible impression on the observers.
1866. Chamb. Encycl., VIII. 7/2. The strength of the pulse depends chiefly on the force with which the blood is driven from the heart.
1873. J. C. Maxwell, Electr. & Magn. II. vii. 206. It is a homogeneous function of the second degree with respect to the strengths of the [electric] currents.
k. Vigor, intensity (of feeling, conviction, etc.). Also, emphasis, positiveness (of refusal).
1550. Coverdale, Spir. Perle, xxviii. (1560), 271. Faith … receiueth increasement and more strength, through patience.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., V. i. 198. If you did know … You would abate the strength of your displeasure. Ibid. (1596), 1 Hen. IV., I. iii. 25. Those Prisoners in your Highnesse [name] demanded Were … not with such strength denied As was deliuered to your Maiesty.
1781. Cowper, Conversat., 88. Opposition gives opinion strength.
l. Intensity of the specific property, or proportionate quantity of the active ingredient in a substance; potency (of drugs, liquors). Also, in particularized sense, a definite degree of strength.
1588. Kyd, Househ. Philos., Wks. (1901), 272. I speake of choyse wynes which get strength with age.
1653. T. Brugis, Vade Mecum (ed. 2), 134. If you will put in gummes,… you must boyle them very gently least they burn, and the strength vanish away.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 155. T’allay the Strength and Hardness of the Wine.
1790. Act 30 Geo. III., c. 37 § 2. Spirits of any greater or higher Degree of Strength than that of One in Six under Hydrometer Proof.
1843. Penny Cycl., XXVII. 459/1. A wine is prepared which is green, and which becomes deeper by time, while the strength increases so much, that [etc.].
1851–3. Tomlinson, Cycl. Useful Arts (1867), II. 29/2. A mixture of lime and water of 3 or 4 different strengths.
1904. Knowledge, March, 43/2. This difference of price is due to the greater ‘strength’ of the flour … meaning by ‘strength’ the capacity to make more and larger loaves for equal weights of flour used.
1907. J. A. Hodges, Elem. Photogr. (ed. 6), 151. A developer of normal strength.
m. Of soil: Firmness.
1573–80. Tusser, Husb. (1878), 49. The straw and the eare to haue bignes and length, betokeneth land to be good and in strength.
1707. Mortimer, Husb., 42. Ploughs … must be great or small according to the depth and strength of the Soil you Plow.
1794. Vancouver, Agric. Cambridge, 73. Westwardly of this, the soil again improves in strength, and staple.
1892. Katharine Tynan, in Speaker, 3 Sept., 289/1. He had once possessed a small farm, half a hundred acres of thistly land, from which savour and strength had long departed.
n. Demonstrative force or weight (of arguments, evidence); amount of evidence for (a case).
1593. Shaks., 3 Hen. VI., III. i. 49. Whiles Warwick tels his Title, smooths the Wrong, Inferreth arguments of mighty strength.
1725. Watts, Logic, IV. ii. (1726), 351. Afterwards mention the Objections distinctly in their full Strength, and give a distinct Answer to them.
1814. Chalmers, Evid., ii. 65. Consider the strength even of heathen testimony to the facts of the gospel history.
1818. Hallam, Mid. Ages, viii. III. (1819), III. 48. In this consists, I think, the sole strength of the opposite argument.
1895. Law Times, XCIX. 544/1. The litigant should as speedily as can be learn something of the strength of his opponent’s case.
o. Energy or vigor of literary or artistic conception or execution; forcefulness (of delineation, versification, expression).
1687. Miége, Gt. Fr. Dict., II. s.v., The strength (or energy) of a Discourse, la force d’un Discours.
1695. [R. Graham], Short Acc. Painters, in Dryden’s Du Fresnoy’s Art Paint., 314. He had indeed an admirable Colouring, and great strength in all his Works.
1709. Pope, Ess. Crit., 361. And praise the easy vigour of a line, Where Denham’s strength, and Waller’s sweetness join.
1710. Felton, Diss. Classics (1718), Pref. 17. We should see more and more into the Property, Strength, and Compass, and all the hidden Beauties of the Greek and Latin Tongues.
1715. Pope, Iliad, I. Pref. C 4. He consider’d these [dialects] as they had a greater Mixture of Vowels or Consonants, and accordingly employ’d them as the Verse requir’d either a greater Smoothness or Strength.
1752. Gray, Stanzas to Mr. R. Bentley, 13. Ah! could they catch his strength, his easy grace, His quick creation, his unerring line.
1777. Potter, Æschylus, Prometh. Chain’d, Foreword. There is in this remaining drama a sublimity of conception, a strength, a fire, a certain savage dignity peculiar to this bold writer.
1802. Edin. Rev., Oct., 86. Dr. Rennel’s first sermon, upon the consequences of gaming, is admirable for its strength of language, its sound good sense, [etc.].
1906. Lit. World, 15 Nov., 519/2. The pictures are notable for a proper mingling of strength and delicacy.
p. Cards. Of a hand (or the player holding it): Effectiveness due to the value of the cards held; also, the condition of being strong or abundant in (a specified suit). Of a suit: Number and value of the cards held by a player.
1862. ‘Cavendish,’ Whist (1864), 22. Both these ends are advanced by choosing for your original lead the suit in which you have the greatest numerical strength.
1900. ‘J. Doe,’ Bridge Man., 32. The test of very many doubtful No Trumpers lies in the strength or weakness of the Spades.
q. Billiards. (See quot. 1896.)
1788. J. Beaufort, Hoyle’s Games Impr., 194. [Billiards.] This game [i.e., the losing game] depends greatly upon particular strengths.
1896. W. Broadfoot, Billiards, iii. (Badm. Libr.), 106. Strength is the measure of force used to make a stroke, which is said to be soft or hard according to the strength.
r. Comm. Firmness, absence of lowering tendency, in prices.
1891. Daily News, 15 April, 2/7. No strength is yet felt in the market for home trade yarns.
1912. Standard, 20 Sept., 8/7. Prices showed some degree of strength at the opening.
1913. Times, 9 Aug., 17/2. The South African market showed strength.
2. Phrases. † a. By or with strength of: by force of. Cf. FORCE sb.1 16. Obs.
13[?]. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS., xlix. 424. He þat may fulli conquerre Al a cuntre bi strengþe of were.
1555. Instit. Gentl., E ij. When as they winning by strength of armes ye cuntrie of Asia … did frely geue [etc.].
1585. T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., I. v. 4. We rowing with strength of oares towardes the saide citie. Ibid., II. xi. 46. With strength of rowing we coasted along.
1598. W. Phillip, trans. Langenes’ Voy. Ships Holland E. Ind., 27. They entered into their boate, and by strength of oares rowed from vs.
† b. No strength: no matter (= no force, FORCE sb.1 20). Obs.–1
1340. Ayenb., 5. And yef he him damnede be him zelue: þer-of no strengþe.
† c. (To hunt) with strength: by way of regular cbase. Cf. FORCE sb.1 22 a. Obs.
c. 1369. Chaucer, Dethe Blaunche, 351. And al men speke of huntynge How they wolde slee the hert with strengthe.
c. 1400. Master of Game (MS. Digby 182), xxv. Whan þe kynge … will hunte for þe herte with strength, þe maister of þe game moste haue [etc.].
d. On the strength of: † (a) with the strength derived from, fortified by (food or drink) (obs.); (b) encouraged by, relying on, or arguing from.
Cf. 1 Kings xix. 8 ‘in the strength of that meat,’ which is literal from the Hebrew.
1625. Massinger, New Way, II. ii. Here; drinke it off, the ingredients are cordiall…. You may ride on the strength of this till to morrow morning.
1708. Addison, Pres. St. War, 24. The Allies after a successful Summer are too apt upon the Strength of it to neglect their Preparations for the ensuing Campaign.
1717. Prior, Alma, III. 243. Was ever Tartar fierce or cruel, Upon the Strength of Water-Gruel?
a. 1734. North, Life Ld. Kpr. Guilford (1742), 53. Sir William Jones, who, upon the Strength of the Duke of Bucks, set his Lordship so hard for the Solicitor General’s Place.
1780. Mirror, No. 92. I have known a lady here contrive to make a figure for half the winter, on the strength of a plume of feathers, or the trimming of a petticoat.
1806–7. J. Beresford, Miseries Hum. Life (1826), iii. § 39. Going to see a party of strolling players on the strength of an encouraging report.
1845. Dickens, Chimes, iii. 110. [He] had considerably improved his acquaintance with Sir Joseph Bowley on the strength of his attentive letter.
1865. Emerson, in Harper’s Mag. (1884), Feb., 461/2. On the strength of your note, I am working away at my last pages.
1885. Manch. Exam., 13 July, 5/2. He makes a careful selection of instances, on the strength of which he asks us to accept the conclusion at which he has arrived.
1890. D. C. Murray, John Vale, xxv. You have [made a discovery], have you?… And you want half-a-crown for a drink on the strength of it?
3. Used for: A source of strength; that which makes strong. (Not now in pl.)
Often in Biblical language (literally from Heb.), esp. as predicated of God.
c. 1000. Ags. Ps. (Th.), lix. 6. And Effrem ys æðele strengþu heafdes mines.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 7208. His wijf wald noght fin … Til sco þe soth had gert him sai, In quat stede al his strencth lai.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter xxx. 4. For my strenght and my fleynge ert thou.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Monk’s T., 68. For alle hise strengthes in hise heeres weere.
a. 1400. Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS., xxiii. 234. Heil vr Ioye of worþinesse, And yr strengþe þerto.
1615. E. S., Britain’s Buss, in Arber, Eng. Garner, III. 648. Our shipping and mariners, sea towns, and coasts, which … should be the walls and strength of this Islandish Monarchy.
1630. R. Johnson, Kingd. & Commw., 220. Both of them are wonderfull strengths, eases, and riches to his Countrey.
1630. M. Godwyn, trans. Bp. Godwyn’s Ann. Eng., 21. Our chiefe strength were our Archers.
1667. Milton, P. L., X. 921. [Eve to Adam] Bereave me not, Whereon I live,… My only strength and stay.
1678. Bp. Sprat, Serm., 7 Nov. (1710), 130. What they boaded would be a Mischief to us, you are providing shall be one of our principal Strengths.
1738. Wesley, Psalms, LI. vii. And all my Powers shall join to bless The Lord, my Strength and Righteousness.
1855. Prescott, Philip II., I. v. I. 69. The strength of his army lay in his Spanish veterans.
1883. Manch. Exam., 24 Oct., 4/6. The strength of Conservatism was that it appealed to men of all classes and positions … who desire to maintain the Constitution as it is.
† 4. Superior power exerted for conquest, outrage or compulsion; force; wrongful force, violence; pl. acts of violence. To make strength: to resort to force. Obs.
c. 1000. Apollonius of Tyre (1834), 2. He … ða onʓean-winnendan fæmnan mid micelre strengðe earfoðlice ofercom.
a. 1122. O. E. Chron. (Laud MS.), an. 1119. Sume þa castelas he mid strengðe ʓenam. Ibid. (1154), an. 1137, § 6. Landes þat rice men hefden mid strengthe.
a. 1200. Moral Ode, 168, in O. E. Hom., I. 169. Ne scal him na mon mene þer of strengþe ne of wronge.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 179. And ȝif þe louerd net his underlinge to ȝiuene, þat beoð strengðe, and refloc.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 673. Nembrot nam wið strengðhe ðat lond, And helde ðe tur o babel in his hond.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 4166. Some he mid strencþe nom & al quic hom vret.
c. 1300. K. Horn, 1084 (Laud). Mody Myd strencþe hyre hadde And in to toure ladde.
c. 1300. Leg. Gregory (Schulz), 621. Þo was þe douke wiþ strengþe ytake, And brouȝt to þe conteise sone.
13[?]. Cursor M., 19323 (Edin.). To þe tempil þan þai giede, þa postlis to þair curte to lede, bot strenþes nane did þai þaim til.
1390. Gower, Conf., I. 240. And that thing mai I noght fulfille, But if I scholde strengthe make.
c. 1400. Maundev. (1839), v. 37. On that was clept Guytoga … made him Soudan be strengthe.
c. 1400. Brut, lix. 54. Þai hade descomfitede him biforn-hand, and dryuen him out by strengþ.
c. 1400. Pride of Life, 332, in Non-Cycle Myst. Plays, 99. Med is mad a demisman, Streyint betit þe lau.
1463. Stat. Roll Irel. 3 Edw. IV. (1914), 187. To resist the malicieux pourposes might and strayngth of your forsaid Irishe Enemyez.
† 5. A power, faculty; an active property. Obs.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., I. 116. Ʒenim þas ylcan wyrte & ele & swinen smero do tosomne þonne hæfd hit ða strængðe hyne to ʓewyrmenne.
1387–8. T. Usk, Test. Love, III. vi. (Skeat), l. 67. Instrument of willing is thilke strength of the soule, whiche that constrayneth to wilne.
c. 1400. trans. Secreta Secret., Gov. Lordsh., 96. Vche sawle is a spirituell stryngthe,… and it hauys two stryngthes rennynge to-gedre yn þe body,… oon of þe stryngthes is a tokenynge, þe oþer ys wirkand, þat glorious god hauys inlightyd of vij strenghes; of stryngthe attractyue, and retractyf, of stryngthe digestyf, and purgatyf, of strengthe nutrityf, and informatyf, and sustantyf.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., xcvi. 427 (Add. MS.). Therfore I am holdyn to serue hym with all my strengthes And membres.
1508. Dunbar, Tua Mariit Wemen, 264. Be dragonis baitht and dowis, ay in double forme, And quhen it nedis ȝow, onone, note baith ther stranthis.
1525. trans. Brunswyke’s Handywork Surg., xv. D j b. That the powder [shall] haue in hym selfe suche strength that whan it towcheth the vayne, that it therwith may close, which strength is namyd stiptica. Ibid., lxviii. O iv b. Lay thervpon this plaster, whyche hathe the strengthe to cause all bowed bones to come out agayn.
† 6. A feat of strength; an act requiring strength. To make no strength of: to find no difficulty in.
c. 1290. Alban, 62, in S. Eng. Leg., 69. Huy comen to an vrninde brok: þere huy mosten ouer wade: þe tormentores woden ouer al a-brod: and no strencþe þar-of ne maden.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, XVI. 646. Thar did ane Ynglis man, perfay, A weill gret strynth, as I herd say.
1579–80. North, Plutarch, Crassus (1612), 573. These bowmen [Parthians] drew a great strength, and had big strong bowes.
† 7. The force, tenor or import (of a document); the power, phonetic value (of a letter of the alphabet). Obs.
c. 1425. Eng. Conq. Ireland (1896), 90. The forme of thay preuyleges, as thay wer endyted … a latyne, ne myght I nat comly setten yn Englyshe, & þerfor I hyt leue; bot the meste streynth ys thys.
1447. Rolls of Parlt., V. 132/1. That it be doone after the strengthe, fourme and effecte of this Petition.
c. 1450. Godstow Reg., 348. Aftir the strengthe, forme, and effecte, of theire charter therof made.
1602. [J. Willis], Art Stenogr., B 5. In these wordes, H, hath the strength of a thicke Aspiration, as if they [sc. Ah, Oh] were thus written, Agh, Ogh.
† 8. Strengthening, reinforcement, confirmation.
c. 1420. Brut, cxxxviii. 144. He passede þe see, and come into Engeland, þrouȝ conseil & strengþ & helpe of meny grete Lordes of Engeland.
c. 1450. Mirk’s Festial, 52. Soo, for þis man was so yturnet from all wyckednesse ynto all goodnesse, yn gret strengþe and helpe to holy chyrch. Ibid., 228. For ryght as a castell hath a depe dych yn strengyth of hyt, soo hath our lady a dyche of mekenes.
c. 1450. Godstow Reg., 95. Into witnesse and strengthe of all thingis he made his seale. Ibid., 206. Yf nede were the sewters of the forsaid court shold come fully to the strengthe of the courte for the kyngis breef or writte ther to be demed at that tyme.
† 9. Legal power; authority. (Cf. 1 h.) Obs.
1414. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 58/1. By strengthe and colour of the forseide Statut so generally mad … the forseide Priour and Chanons hav us … by enquestes enbraced as for her bonde boremen.
1480. Caxton, Cron. Eng., ccviii. 190. He … axed the keyes of the yates of the Cyte thurgh vertue and strengthe [Brut strengh] of his commyssyon.
1501. Will of John Bawde, in Bury Wills (Camden), 84. I charge my feffoours that they delyuer strengthe jn as moche londe as jt most redyest mony to be had for to my executoours.
1530. Will of John Bewchyr, ibid., note. I gyve all my strength that my mother gaue me … I gyve nowe all my strength to John Wallgore for to gyve or sell all the goods, houses [etc.].
c. 1600. Shaks., Sonn., xlix. 13. To leaue poore me, thou hast the strength of lawes, Since why to loue, I can alledge no cause.
1689. in Acts Parlt. Scot. (1875), XII. 63/2. By causeing persewand forfault seuerall persones upon strenthes of old and absolute lawes.
10. A stronghold, fastness, fortress. Now arch. or Hist., chiefly with reference to Scotland.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 270. Auh þis heie sacrament … unwrihð his wrenches, & brekeð his strencðes.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 7142. Alle þe strengþes he gan to sese … he had alle þys forceresses.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, V. 469. Thai held the strynthis of the land.
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), II. 449. Codrus … entrede in to þe strengþe of his enemyes [L. castra hostium ingreditur].
1390. Gower, Conf., III. 55. Ther let he make of lym and sond A strengthe where he wolde duelle.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. IV. 238. Meny hardy men that hadden wil to fyghte, To brennen and to bruten, to bete a-doun strengthes.
c. 1420. Contin. Brut, ccxlv. 386. And so þe King gat and conquered alle the tounez and Castelles, Pilez, Streynthis, and Abbeyez, vnto Pountlarge.
1513. Douglas, Æneis, VI. xiii. 42. Sum in the hillis hie sall set wp syne The strenthis and the castellis Collatyne.
1542. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., VIII. 109. Utheris to kepe thair housis and strengthis un the bordouris.
1568. Grafton, Chron., II. 118. In conclusion, he toke money sayth Reynulph and yeelded vp his Castelles and strengthes which he helde.
1598. Barret, Theor. Warres, V. i. 121. The Generall of the Artillerie is to prouide for all the forts and strengths of the realme.
1643. Charles I., Conc. Treaty Oxf., Wks. 1662, II. 320. If any Prince seize upon any Strength that belongs to His stronger Neighbour.
1661. J. D[avies], Civil Warres, cviii. 370. To lay down their Arms, and surrender Chester and other strengths.
1667. Milton, P. L., VII. 141. This inaccessible high strength, the seat Of Deitie supream.
1748. Smollett, Rod. Rand., xxxiii. Our sailors at the same time become masters of all the other strengths near Boca Chica.
1807. G. Chalmers, Caledonia, I. I. ii. 91. There was once a subterraneous communication, between these two British strengths, on Barryhill.
1815. Scott, Antiq., xxviii. Auld Elspeth ’s like some of the ancient ruined strengths and castles that ane sees amang the hills.
1870. Burton, Hist. Scot., lix. (1873), V. 351. If we suppose it clear … that King James was to be taken to that lonely strength, it is … an absolute mystery how he was to be treated when he was there.
† b. A defensive work, munition, fortification. Also fig. Obs.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIX. 362. Conscience comaunded þo al crystene to delue, And make a muche mote þat myȝte ben a strengthe, To helpe holycherche.
1382. Wyclif, Isa. xxxiii. 16. The strengthys of huge stones his heȝte [Vulg. munimenta saxorum sublimitas ejus].
c. 1400. Beryn, 239. The knyȝt … went to se the wall, And þe wardes of the town…; Devising ententiflich þe strengthis al a-bout.
1500. Reg. Privy Seal Scot., I. 791. To big a tour … and mak thairapon irn ȝettis, machcolyn,… and al uther strenthis.
1609–10. Act 7 Jas. I, c. 20 § 2. For the making … keeping and mainteyninge of Peres, Wals, Jettes, Pyles, Strengthes, Fortificacions, Defences, and other thinges whatsoever to withstand and breake the rage and violent beating of the Sea.
1636. B. Jonson, Discov. (1640), 92. That there was a Wall or Parapet of teeth set in our mouth … that the rashnesse of talking should … be fenced in, and defended by certaine strengths, placed in the mouth it selfe, and within the lips.
1661. Reg. Privy Council Scot., Ser. III. I. 6. To cause demolish and slight the wallis, strenths and fortificationes of the Citiedale of Inuernesse.
† c. One’s strong position; the place within which one is most secure; spec. in Wrestling (see quot. 1714). Obs.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, III. 44. Tharfor me thynk maist awenand To withdraw ws,… Till we cum owt off thar daunger. For owr strenth at our hand is ner.
1436. Rolls of Parlt., IV. 498/1. Ye Parysh Kirk of Bidstone in ye same Countee of Chestre, within his awne strenght.
c. 1440. Bone Flor., 497. All that were lefte onslayne, Fledd unto ther strenkyth agayne.
1464. in Archæologia, XLVII. 191. Be it kend … me Alexander Hom … be these present letters assouver … Thomas Burghe … safly to pass agan in Ingland to thar own st[r]enth.
1513. More, Rich. III., Wks. 57/2. Then thought the protectour,… while ye lordes of the realme wer about him out of their owne strenghtis,… it wer best hastly to pursue his purpose.
1612. Hayward, Ann. Eliz. (Camden), 52. They kept themselves so within their strength, that only two of their horsemen and one of their footemen [were] slayne.
a. 1674. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., IX. § 100. The counter-scuffle at Petherton-bridge, when two of his own parties … fought with each other, whilst the enemy retired to their own strengths.
1714. Parkyns, Inn-Play (ed. 2), 57. Stand straight and wide, but not out of your strength with your Toe out.
11. † a. collect. sing. Troops, forces. Obs.
1154. O. E. Chron., an. 1140. Þa hi þær inne wæren þa com þe Kinges cuen mid al hire strengthe.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 8793. So þat a Misselmasse eue, mid hor ost hii come To gadere mid gret strengþe, & þe bataile nome.
c. 1420. Contin. Brut, ccxli. 351. The King … made hym redy with his streynthe, and rode yn-to Essex.
1461. Preston, Lett., II. 59. And yet … he wolde send me with strengthe of men as a presoner.
c. 1482. J. Kay, trans. Caoursin’s Siege of Rhodes (1870), ¶ 11. Therfor the lord mayster putted also strenght of men into the walles of Rhodes whiche were beten downe with bombardes.
1560. Daus, trans. Sleidane’s Comm., 51. That we shold sende our strength and souldiours unto straungers [L. subministrare videlicet copias, et militem nostrum aliis]. Ibid., 137 b. He fortifieth it with workes and strength of men [L. opere praesidioque munit].
1642–4. Vicars, God in Mount, 163. In expectation of some more strength either from Glocester-shire, or else from the Lord Generall.
1649. Davenant, Love & Honour, V. i. 26. Vasco, it is the Dukes command that you Assemble straight some strength from the cast regiments To guard the pallace yard.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, April 1646. Within is another fort and spacious lodgings for the souldiers…. No accommodation for strength is wanting.
1703. Burchett, Mem. Transactions at Sea, 288. All that the Admiral could do was to protect the Trade, till such time as the additional Strength expected from England, joined him.
† b. A body of soldiers; a force. Obs.
a. 1500. in Kingsford, Chron. Lond. (1905), 177. Quene Margaret came owte of ffraunce in to Scotland wt a strength of people; and so entred into England and made opyn warr.
1544. Betham, Precepts War, II. lxiv. L vj b. Wherfore we must all wayes fyght wyth fresshe men, newe strengthes, and plentye of vytayles.
1565. Cooper, Thesaurus, Decurias hominum inducere, to bryng in a strength of men.
1597. Shaks., 2 Hen. IV., I. iii. 76. That he should draw his seuerall strengths togither And come against vs in full puissance.
1599. Hayward, 1st Pt. Hen. IV., 18. The king … sent a strength of men with charge, either to set vpon the earle of Arundell where he did lie, or [etc.].
1617. Moryson, Itin., II. 210. The Forces in Garrison at Carrickfergus, out of which Sir Arthur Chichester was to draw a competent strength to come by water and meete the Lord Deputie.
1627. Drayton, Mis. Q. Marg., xcix. Yorke … With his deare Nevils, Counsels what to doe, For it behou’d him, to make good his Guard With both their strengthes and all to little too.
12. Mil. and Naval. The number of men on the muster-roll of an army, a regiment, etc.; the body of men enrolled; the number of ships in a navy or fleet. Under strength: having less than the standard or normal number.
1601. Shaks., All’s Well, IV. iii. 181. Demaund of him of what strength they are a foot.
c. 1610. Lett., in Daily News (1896), 24 Nov., 8/1. His strength is as followeth: When he goeth in person to the wars, he hath not less than 300,000 men armed with lances and swords.
a. 1700. Evelyn, Diary, 2 Nov. 1691. The relation he gave of the strength of the French King … was very wide from what we fancied.
1711. Swift, Cond. Allies, 40. And as they [the Dutch] increase their Trade, it is obvious they will enlarge their Strength at Sea.
1718. Lady M. W. Montagu, Lett. to Abbé Conti, 31 July. His strength at sea now [is] very small.
1802. C. James, Milit. Dict., s.v., In all returns which are made of corps, strength implies the number of men that are borne upon the establishment, in contradistinction to effective force, which means the number fit for service.
1809. Lond. Chron., 8 Aug., 130. Strength of the Garrison. Two captains, [etc.]…. Total 127.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., v. I. 580. Orders were given that the strength of every company of infantry and of every troop of cavalry should be increased.
1859. Musketry Instr., 82. [Rules for ‘Monthly Progress Return’] 1st. Strength, &c.—Under this head are to be shown the effectives of each company,—that is, every man of the company, whether present or absent, on the last day of the month, minus regimental staff-serjeants, drummers, and recruits in a musketry sense.
1894. ‘J. S. Winter,’ Red Coats, 26. But outside the fighting strength of the regiment Colonel de Crespigny was not liked.
1896. Daily News, 9 Feb., 3/3. At present the Brigade of Guards was under strength.
b. On the strength: entered on the rolls of a regiment. Also said of those soldiers’ wives whose marriage has been approved by the authorities, and who have therefore a recognized position; opposed to off the strength.
1864. Whyte-Melville, Brookes of Bridlemere, ii. The coloured clothes denoting that the wearer was a bâtman, or officer’s servant, though on the strength of the regiment as a trooper in its ranks.
1889. Eng. Illustr. Mag., April, 533/2. The colonel had put the widow woman ‘on the strength’—she was no longer an unrecognized waif, but had her regimental position.
1890. Pall Mall Gaz., 6 Sept., 7/2. Only the wives of the men on the married strength proceed, at the expense of the Government,… but those married without leave go at their own expense.
1897. Col. Forrest, in United Serv. Mag., Nov., 147. Married soldiers are of two categories, those married ‘on the strength’ and those married ‘off the strength.’
13. A sufficient number (of persons or things) for some purpose. Now dial.
1607. Markham, Caval., I. 75. When the colt is haltered, you shall prouide, that good strength of men take hold vpon the end of the chase halter.
1640. J. Taylor (Water P.), Differing Worships, 2. His Worships Altar’s Crown’d with Glorious strength Of Massie Plate.
1717. Bolingbroke, Lett. to Sir W. Windham (1753), 69. When … she took the resolution of laying him aside, there was a strength still remaining sufficient to have supported her government.
1748. Anson’s Voy., II. ii. 128. Without the help of their crews he had no longer strength enough to navigate the ship.
1765. A. Dickson, Treat. Agric. (ed. 2), 316. These two plowings may be performed with the same strength, and in the same time with one clean plowing.
1769. G. White, Selborne, To Pennant, 2 Jan. Half-a-dozen gentlemen, furnished with a good strength of water-spaniels.
1875. W. Alexander, Sk. Life among Ain Folk, 140. Maister Mutch has stren’th o’ men an’ beasts to be mair nor maister o’ a’ the wark upo’ the fairm.
1878. Cumbld. Gloss., Strenth o’ men and pitchforks, power, influence.
† 14. The aggregate resources (of a nation). Obs.
1695. C. Davenant, Ess. Ways & Means, Wks. 1771, I. 62. In taxing the people we have hitherto gone chiefly upon land, and foreign trade, which are about 1/2d part of the strength of England.
1708. Addison, Pres. St. War, 6. The Woollen Manufacture is the British Strength, the staple Commodity and proper Growth of our Country.
1711. Swift, Cond. Allies, 8. No Monarch … did ever engage beyond a certain Degree; never proceeding so far as to exhaust the Strength and Substance of their Country by Anticipations and Loans.
15. Strongest part. † a. gen. Obs.
c. 1530. Judic. Urines, II. xiii. 42 b. Ilica passio…. Ile is the pyth and the strenth of a thyng.
1585. Higins, Junius’ Nomencl., 143/1. Pulpa,… the hart, or strength of timber.
1725. Pope, Odyss., II. 427. Then studious she prepares the choicest flour, The strength of wheat, and wines, an ample store.
b. Fencing. = FORTE sb. 2. Obs.
1705. H. Blackwell, Engl. Fencing-Master, 10. You must engage your Adversary with the Strength of your Foile on the Feeble of his.
1711. Z. Wylde, Engl. Master of Defence, 5. From the Shell to the middle, I call the Fort or Strength of the Weapon.
c. The strongest part (of a stream or current).
1807. O. W. Roberts, Voy. Centr. Amer., 258. Keeping generally in the strength of the current, which … carried us down with great velocity.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Strength of the tide, where it runs strongest, which in serpentine courses will be found in the hollow curves.
16. A mighty company, a power. nonce-use.
1842. Tennyson, Ulysses, 66. We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven.
17. attrib. and Comb., as strength-constant, -return, test; objective, as strength-giver; strength-conferring, -decaying, -giving, -increasing, -inspiring, -restoring, -sustaining, -testing adjs.
1720. Pope, Iliad, XIX. 168. Built anew with *Strength-conferring Fare.
1881. Q. Jrnl. Geol. Soc., XXXIX. 139. On the Elasticity and *Strength-constants of Japanese Rocks. By Thomas Gray … and Prof. John Milne.
1600. Weakest goeth to Wall, F 3. *Strength-decaying age.
1890. Spectator, 3 May, 618/2. They could settle … what the value of the potato really is as a *strength-giver.
1880. C. R. Markham, Peruv. Bark, 144. The *strength-giving, invigorating coca.
1655. Marq. Worcester, Cent. Invent., Index p. iij. A *Strength-increasing Spring.
1799. Campbell, Pleas. Hope, I. 101. Thy *strength-inspiring aid.
1852. Bailey, Festus, 524. Another holy day … hath now slid Into the passive *strength-restoring night.
1893. Bowdler, trans. von Pfeil’s Exper. Prussian Officer, iii. 31. Prince Charles of Roumania … compared the figures shown on the *strength-returns of some Russian troops with the actual numbers, and found that there were serious discrepancies.
c. 1624. Chapman, Hymn to Hermes, 665. Because he beares Of *strength-sustayning youth, the flaming yeares.
1898. Engin. Mag., XVI. 154/2. *Strength Tests of Swedish Iron and Steel.
1898. Daily News, 12 April, 3/6. These [amusements] included show-booths, try-your-weight and *strength-testing machines, [etc.].
