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Weak-minded; demonstratively fond; as, spooney lovers. [Spelt also spoony.] [Colloq.]

To weaken, as a joint, ligament, or muscle, by sudden and excessive exertion, as by wrenching; to overstrain, or stretch injuriously, but without luxation; as, to sprain one's ankle.

To crack or split; to bend or strain so as to weaken; as, to spring a mast or a yard.

as a food fish. It is of a bright silvery color, with iridescent reflections. Called also weakfish, squitee, chickwit, and sea trout. The spotted squeteague (C. nebulosus) of the Southern United States is a similar fish, but the back and upper fins are spotted with black. It is called also spotted weakfish, and, locall…

Anything which serves for support; a staff; a prop; a crutch; a cane. His weak steps governing And aged limbs on cypress stadle stout. Spenser.

Weak; worn out. [Obs.] Spenser.

To make violent efforts. "Straining with too weak a wing." Pope. To build his fortune I will strain a little. Shak.

Subjected to great or excessive tension; wrenched; weakened; as, strained relations between old friends.

the verbs strive, strove, striven; break, broke, broken; drink, drank, drunk. Opposed to weak, or regular. See Weak.

The breasts of Hecuba When she did suckle Hector, looked not lovelier. Shak. They are not weak, suckled by Wisdom. Landor.

or hindering; toleration; permission; allowance; leave. Shak. In their beginning they are weak and wan, But soon, through sufferance, grow to fearful end. Spenser. Somewhiles by sufferance, and somewhiles by special leave and favor, they erected to themselves oratories. Hooker.

To make suggestions; to tempt. [Obs.] And ever weaker grows through acted crime, Or seeming-genial, venial fault, Recurring and suggesting still. Tennyson.

or to treat, superficially, or in a shallow or slighting way. [R.] It is a characteristic weakness of the day to superficialize evil. E. P. Whipple.

due; to put down; to quell. Every rebellion, when it is suppressed, doth make the subject weaker, and the prince stronger. Sir J. Davies.

Hence, outward or external appearance. Vain and weak understandings, which penetrate no deeper than the surface. V. Knox.

ist; to have a slight or vague opinion of the existence of, without proof, and often upon weak evidence or no evidence; to mistrust; to surmise; -- commonly used regarding something unfavorable, hurtful, or wrong; as, to suspect the presence of disease. Nothing makes a man suspect much, more than to know little; and th…

Having the back hollow or sagged, whether naturally or as the result of injury or weakness; -- said of horses and other animals.

Poor, weak beer; small beer. [Slang, Eng.] [Written also swypes.] Craig.

continue it into the following accented part, so that the accent is driven back upon the weak part and the rhythm drags.

. Men in their loose, unguarded hours they take; Not that themselves are wise, but others weak. Pope. They that come abroad after these showers are commonly taken with sickness. Bacon. There he blasts the tree and takes the cattle And makes milch kine yield blood. Shak.