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   stray

   /streɪ/

   verb

   • 1. move away aimlessly from a group or from the right course or place: "dog owners are urged not to allow their dogs to stray" Similar wander offgo astraydriftget separatedget lostlose one's waydigressdeviatewanderdriftget sidetrackedgo off at a tangentget off the subjectlose the threadrare:divagate
   • ▪ (of the eyes or a hand) move idly or casually: "her eyes strayed to the telephone"
   • ▪ be unfaithful to a spouse or partner: "men who stray are seen as more exciting and desirable" Similar be unfaithfulhave affairsphilanderinformal:play aroundcarry onplay the field
   • ▪ wander or roam: "over these mounds the shepherd strays" Similar digressdeviatewanderdriftget sidetrackedgo off at a tangentget off the subjectlose the threadrare:divagate

   adjective

   • 1. not in the right place; separated from the group or target: "he pushed a few stray hairs from her face" Similar randomchanceaccidentalfreakunexpectedcasualhaphazardoddisolatedlonesinglescatteredoccasionalincidental
   • ▪ (of a domestic animal) having no home or having wandered away from home: "stray dogs" Similar homelessloststrayedgone astrayabandonedunclaimedwanderingvagrant
   • 2. (of a physical quantity) arising as a consequence of the laws of physics, but unwanted and usually having a detrimental effect on the operation of equipment: "stray capacitance"

   noun

   • 1. a stray person or thing, especially a domestic animal.
   • 2. electrical phenomena interfering with radio reception.

   Word Origin Middle English: shortening of Anglo-Norman French and Old French estrayer (verb), Anglo-Norman French strey (noun), partly from astray.

   Derivatives

   • 1. strayer noun

   Scrabble Points: 8

   • S

     1

   • T

     1

   • R

     1

   • A

     1

   • Y

     4

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