stray

stray¹ [streı] v

[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: estraier, from [i]Vulgar Latin extragare, from Latin extra- 'outside' + vagari 'to wander']

1.) to move away from the place you should be

stray into/onto/from

▪ Three of the soldiers strayed into enemy territory.

2.) to begin to deal with or think about a different subject from the main one, without intending to

stray into/onto/from

▪ We're straying into ethnic issues here.

▪ This meeting is beginning to stray from the point .

3.) if your eyes stray, you begin to look at something else, usually without intending to

stray to/back/over etc

▪ Her eyes strayed to the clock.

4.) to start doing something that is wrong or immoral, when usually you do not do this

stray ²

stray² adj [only before noun]

1.) a stray animal, such as a dog or cat, is lost or has no home

2.) accidentally separated from other things of the same kind

▪ One man was hit by a stray bullet and taken to hospital.

stray ³

stray³ n

1.) an animal that is lost or has no home

2.) informal someone or something that has become separated from others of the same kind

→waifs and strays at ↑waif