# sprain

Pronunciation: US say "SPRAYN" /spɹeɪn/; UK

## Noun

1. The injury produced by wrenching a joint beyond its normal range, overstretching or tearing the ligaments, or the soreness and lameness that result.
   - Simple: An injury that happens when you twist or stretch a joint too far.
   - _A bad sprain left him limping for nearly two weeks._
   - _Most wrist sprains heal within a few weeks of rest._

## Verb

2. To injure a joint, ligament, or muscle by suddenly wrenching or overstretching it, without dislocating it.
   - Simple: To hurt a joint by twisting or stretching it too hard, without moving the bones out of place.
   - _Climbers often sprain a wrist trying to break a fall._
   - _He sprained his knee landing awkwardly after the jump._

## Origin

First recorded around 1601, with the verb attested in 1622. It was possibly borrowed from Middle French espraindre ('to press out, to wring'), which came from Latin exprimere, making it cognate with 'express'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sprain (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).