strap

n. [ OE. strope, AS. stropp, L. stroppus, struppus, perhaps fr. Gr. &unr_; a band or cord, fr. &unr_; to twist, to turn (cf. Strophe). Cf. Strop a strap, a piece of rope. ] 1. A long, narrow, pliable strip of leather, cloth, or the like; specifically, a strip of thick leather used in flogging. [ 1913 Webster ]

A lively cobbler that . . . had scarce passed a day without giving her [ his wife ] the discipline of the strap. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Something made of such a strip, or of a part of one, or a combination of two or more for a particular use; as, a boot strap, shawl strap, stirrup strap. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A piece of leather, or strip of wood covered with a suitable material, for sharpening a razor; a strop. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A narrow strip of anything, as of iron or brass. Specifically: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

(a) (Carp. & Mach.) A band, plate, or loop of metal for clasping and holding timbers or parts of a machine. [ 1913 Webster ]

(b) (Naut.) A piece of rope or metal passing around a block and used for fastening it to anything. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Bot.) (a) The flat part of the corolla in ligulate florets, as those of the white circle in the daisy. (b) The leaf, exclusive of its sheath, in some grasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A shoulder strap. See under Shoulder. [ 1913 Webster ]

Strap bolt, a bolt of which one end is a flat bar of considerable length. --
Strap head (Mach.), a journal box, or pair of brasses, secured to the end of a connecting rod by a strap. See Illust. of Gib and key, under Gib. --
Strap hinge, a hinge with long flaps by which it is fastened, as to a door or wall. --
Strap rail (Railroads), a flat rail formerly used. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Strappadoes [ It. strappata a pull, the strappado, from strappare to pull, from Prov. G. strapfen: cf. G. straff tense, stretched. ] A military punishment formerly practiced, which consisted in drawing an offender to the top of a beam and letting him fall to the length of the rope, by which means a limb was often dislocated. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To punish or torture by the strappado. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who uses strap. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A person or thing of uncommon size. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Tall; strong; lusty; large; as, a strapping fellow. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

There are five and thirty strapping officers gone. Farquhar. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To hold or bind with, or as with, a strap; to entangle. [ Obs. ] Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Shaped like a strap; ligulate; as, a strap-shaped corolla. [ 1913 Webster ]