| strength | 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." 3. Power of resisting attacks; impregnability. "Our castle's strength will laugh a siege to scorn." 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 colour. "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. 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." . Synonym: Force, robustness, toughness, hardness, stoutness, brawniness, lustiness, firmness, puissance, support, spirit, validity, authority. See Force. Origin: OE. Strengthe, AS. Strengu, fr. Strang strong. See Strong. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
|---|---|
| strength-duration curve | A graph relating the intensity of an electrical stimulus to the length of time it must flow to be effective. See: chronaxie, rheobase. (05 Mar 2000) |
| ionic strength | Symbolised as g/2 or I and set equal to 0.5σmizi2, where mi equals the molar concentration and zi the charge of each ion present in solution; if molar concentrations (ci) are used instead of molality (and the solution is dilute), then I == 0.5(1/ρo)σcizi2 where ρo is the density of the solvent; a number of biochemically important events (e.g., protein solubility and rates of enzyme action) vary with the ionic strength of a solution. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tensile strength | The maximum stress a material subjected to a stretching load can withstand without tearing. (12 Dec 1998) |
| yield strength | The amount of stress at which a permanent (plastic) deformation in a component becomes measurable (usually taken as 0.2% permanent strain). (05 Mar 2000) |
| ultimate strength | The maximum stress achieved prior to failure of a component on a single application of the load. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fatigue strength | The stress level below which a particular component will survive an indefinite number of load cycles (typically about 50% of the ultimate strength of the component). (05 Mar 2000) |
| abdominal pain | Sensation of discomfort, distress, or agony in the abdominal region. (12 Dec 1998) |
| acute testicular pain | <radiology> Diagnostic considerations: Testicular torsion, Torsion of testicular appendix, Epididymo-orchitis, Scrotal abscess (12 Dec 1998) |
| ankle pain | The ankle is a hinged joint. The severity of ankle sprains ranges from mild (which can resolve within 24 hours) to severe (which can require surgical repair). Tendinitis of the ankle can be caused by trauma or inflammatory forms of arthritis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| back pain | A continuous pain located in the back, usually below the cervical level. For lower back pain or pain in the lumbar region, low back pain is available. (12 Dec 1998) |
| back pain, low | Symptoms in the low back can relate to the bony lumbar spine, discs between the vertebrae, ligaments around the spine and discs, spinal cord and nerves, muscles of the low back, internal organs of the pelvis and abdomen, and the skin covering the lumbar area. The low back, or lumbar area, functions in structural support, movement, and protection of certain body tissue. (12 Dec 1998) |
| bearing-down pain | A uterine contraction accompanied by straining and tenesmus; usually appearing in the second stage of labour. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bladder pain | Among the symptoms of bladder infection are feelings of pain, pressure and tenderness around the bladder, pelvis, and perineum (the area between the anus and vagina or anus and scrotum), which may increase as the bladder fills and decrease as it empties; decreased bladder capacity; an urgent need to urinate; painful sexual intercourse; and, in men, discomfort or pain in the penis and scrotum. (12 Dec 1998) |
| breakthrough pain | <oncology, symptom> Intermittent exacerbations of pain that can occur spontaneously or in relation to specific activity. (16 Dec 1997) |