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To spring or recoil with violence. [Prov. Eng.]

o far; as, to stretch the truth; to stretch one's credit. They take up, one day, the most violent and stretched prerogative. Burke.

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.

The act of striking; a blow; a hit; a knock; esp., a violent or hostile attack made with the arm or hand, or with an instrument or weapon. His hand fetcheth a stroke with the ax to cut down the tree. Deut. xix. 5. A fool's lips enter into contention and his mouth calleth for strokes. Prov. xviii. 6. He entered and won…

Solid; tough; not easily broken or injured; able to withstand violence; able to sustain attacks; not easily subdued or taken; as, a strong beam; a strong rock; a strong fortress or town.

Violence; force; power. It was their meaning to take what they needed by stronghand. Sir W. Raleigh.

A violent effort or efforts with contortions of the body; agony; distress.

To make senseless or dizzy by violence; to render senseless by a blow, as on the head. One hung a poleax at his saddlebow, And one a heavy mace to stun the foe. Dryden.

Characterized by physical strength or force; strong; lusty; violent; as, a sturdy lout. How bowed the woods beneath their sturdy stroke! Gray.

The act or process of subsiding. The subdual or subsidence of the more violent passions. Bp. Warburton.

successive manner. The whiteness, at length, changed successively into blue, indigo, and violet. Sir I. Newton.

Hasty; violent; rash; precipitate. [Obs.] Shak.

each shoulder, and a large gorget of brilliant feathers on the breast. The color is deep violet, or nearly black, with brilliant green reflections. The gorget is bright metallic green. -- Superb warber. (Zoöl.) See Blue wren, under Wren. -- Su*perb"ly, adv. -- Su*perb"ness, n.

To fall or descend; to rush hastily or violently. C. Richardson (Dict.). All suddenly she swapt adown to ground. Chaucer.

To fall violently or noisily. [Obs.] Holinshed.

An injury caused by violent strains or by overloading; -- said of the backs of horses. Crabb.

Violent and general destruction; as, the sweep of an epidemic disease.

ribbon tied to the hilt of a sword. -- Sword law, government by the sword, or by force; violence. Milton. -- Sword lily. (Bot.) See Gladiolus. -- Sword mat (Naut.), a mat closely woven of yarns; -- so called from a wooden implement used in its manufacture. -- Sword shrimp (Zoöl.), a European shrimp (Pasiphæa sivad…

estant sects with each other and with the Roman Catholics, and thus occasioned a long and violent controversy in the Lutheran church.

hether it be a simple strike, a peaceful public demonstration, sabotage, or revolutionary violence. By the general strike and direct action syndicalism aims to establish a social system in which the means and processes of production are in the control of local organizations of workers, who are manage them for the commo…