Stray
WordNet
adjective
(1) Not close together in time
"Isolated instances of rebellion"
"A stray bullet grazed his thigh"
noun
(2) Homeless cat
verb
(3) Lose clarity or turn aside especially from the main subject of attention or course of argument in writing, thinking, or speaking
"She always digresses when telling a story"
"Her mind wanders"
"Don't digress when you give a lecture"
(4) Move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
"The gypsies roamed the woods"
"Roving vagabonds"
"The wandering Jew"
"The cattle roam across the prairie"
"The laborers drift from one town to the next"
"They rolled from town to town"
(5) Wander from a direct course or at random
"The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her"
"Don't drift from the set course"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From , from and , from , from Low Latin via strata, paved road.
Noun
- Any domestic animal that has an inclosure, or its proper place and company, and wanders at large, or is lost; an estray. Used also figuratively.
- The act of wandering or going astray.
- [historical] An area of common land or place administered for the use of general domestic animals, i.e. "The Stray"
Verb
- To wander, as from a direct course; to deviate, or go out of the way.
- To wander from company, or from the proper limits; to rove at large; to roam; to go astray.
- Figuratively, to wander from the path of duty or rectitude; to err.
Adjective
- To cause to stray.
- Having gone astray; strayed; wandering; as, a stray horse or sheep.