STRUT

To swell; to bulge out. [R.] The bellying canvas strutted with the gale. Dryden.

To walk with a lofty, proud gait, and erect head; to walk with affected dignity. Does he not hold up his head, . . . and strut in his gait Shak.

The act of strutting; a pompous step or walk.

In general, any piece of a frame which resists thrust or pressure in the direction of its own length. See Brace, and Illust. of Frame, and Roof.

Any part of a machine or structure, of which the principal function is to hold things apart; a brace subjected to compressive stress; -- the opposite of stay, and tie.

To hold apart. Cf. Strut, n., 3.

Protuberant. [Obs.] Holland.