Webster's English Dictionary

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stray

1. stray \'stra-\ vi [ME straien, fr. MF estraier, fr. (assumed) VL 
   extragare, fr.] L extra- outside + vagari to wander - more at EXTRA-, 
   VAGARY 1: to wander from company, restraint, or proper limits : ROAM  2a: 
   to wander from a direct course or at random : DEVIATE, MEAN DER 2b: ERR, 
   SIN  - stray.er n
2. stray n [ME, fr. OF estraie`, pp. of estraier] [ME, fr. straien to 
   stray] 1a: a domestic animal wandering at large or lost  1b: a person or 
   thing that strays : a detached individual : STRAGGLE R, WAIF archaic  2: 
   the act of going astray  3: a disturbing electrical effect in radio 
   reception not produced by a tran smitting station 4: an unexpected 
   formation encountered in drilling an oil or gas well 
3. stray aj 1: having strayed : WANDERING {a ~ cow} {~ survi vors} 2: 
   occurring at random or as detached individuals : SCATTERED,  OCCASIONAL {a 
   few ~ hairs} {~ remarks}