EXER'TION, noun The act of exerting or straining; the act of putting into motion or action; effort; a striving or struggling; as an exertion of strength or power; an exertion of the limbs, of the mind or faculties. The ship was saved by great exertions of the crew. No exertions will suppress a vice which great men countenance.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI