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Stray

//stɹeɪ// adj, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Having gone astray; strayed; wandering not-comparable

    "The alley is full of stray cats rummaging through the garbage."

  2. 2
    In the wrong place; misplaced. not-comparable

    "a stray comma"

Adjective
  1. 1
    not close together in time wordnet
  2. 2
    (of an animal) having no home or having wandered away from home wordnet
Noun
  1. 1
    Any domestic animal that lacks an enclosure, proper place, or company, but that instead wanders at large or is lost; an estray.
  2. 2
    an animal that has strayed (especially a domestic animal) wordnet
  3. 3
    A person who is lost. figuratively, literally

    "But vvhat a vvretched, and diſconſolate Hermitage is that Houſe, vvhich is not viſited by thee [God], and vvhat a VVayue, and Stray is that Man, that hath not thy Markes vpon him?"

  4. 4
    An act of wandering off or going astray.
  5. 5
    An area of common land for use by domestic animals. historical
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  1. 6
    An article of movable property, of which the owner is not known (see waif). British, archaic

    "waifs and strays"

  2. 7
    An instance of atmospheric interference.

    "This invention relates broadly to radio communication, but more particularly to a radio receiving system used for the reception of high frequency current signals wherever they are subject to interference from "static" or strays of an untuned or aperiodic character."

  3. 8
    A casual or offhand insult. slang
  4. 9
    A submissive that has not committed to submit to any particular dominant, particulary in petplay.
  5. 10
    Ellipsis of stray bullet. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

    "catch a stray"

Verb
  1. 1
    To wander, as from a direct course; to deviate, or go out of the way. intransitive

    "Thames among the wanton valleys strays."

  2. 2
    lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking wordnet
  3. 3
    To wander from company or outside proper limits; to rove or roam at large; to go astray. intransitive
  4. 4
    move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment wordnet
  5. 5
    To wander from the path of duty or rectitude; to err. intransitive

    "November 2 2014, Daniel Taylor, "Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United," guardian.co.uk It was a derby that left Manchester United a long way back in Manchester City’s wing-mirrors and, in the worst moments, straying dangerously close to being their own worst enemy."

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  1. 6
    wander from a direct course or at random wordnet
  2. 7
    To cause to stray; lead astray. transitive

    "Hath not else his eye / Strayed his affection in unlawful love,"

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English stray, strey, from Anglo-Norman estray, stray, Old French estrai, from the verb (see below).

Etymology 2

From Middle English strayen, partly from Old French estraier, from Vulgar Latin via strata, and partly from Middle English strien, streyen, streyȝen (“to spread, scatter”), from Old English strēġan (“to strew”).

Etymology 3

From Middle English stray, from the noun (see above).

See also for "stray"

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