1601, verb attested 1622. Possibly borrowed from Middle French espraindre (“to press out, to wring”), from Latin exprimere,^[1] in which case cognate to express.

• IPA^(key): /spɹeɪn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪn

sprain (third-person singular simple present sprains, present participle spraining, simple past and past participle sprained)

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

   He sprained his knee after falling off the bicycle.

   • 1963 June 8, Hare-Breadth Hurry, spoken by Bugs Bunny:

     Hi! I suppose you're expecting the Roadrunner! Well, he sprained a giblet cornering a sharp coive the other day, uh, so, uh, I'm standing in for him.

sprain (plural sprains)

1. The act or result of spraining; lameness caused by spraining

   a bad sprain of the wrist

• wramp

• Arpins, piRNAs, pirnas, spinar, spiran