STRAY
What does "STRAY" mean?
To wander away from the proper or expected place or course.
Meanings
- To move away from the group, path, or intended direction. The hikers strayed from the trail and got lost.
- Having wandered from home; lost or without an owner. A stray dog had been sleeping under the porch.
- A domestic animal that has wandered off and has no owner. She adopted a stray from the shelter.
- Occurring or found apart from the main group; isolated. A stray hair fell across her face.
Did you know?
- Stray and 'astray' are kin, both rooted in a Latin idea of wandering outside the bounds - to go astray is simply to stray with extra emphasis.
Word origin
From Old French 'estraier', to wander or roam, ultimately from Latin 'extra' (outside) plus 'vagari' (to wander); related to 'astray'.
Remember it
STRAY hides 'tray' - imagine a cat that strayed off, knocking your tray to the floor.
A little poem
One step off the path-
the woods close like a curtain
behind your last step.
haiku
Wordplay
- Why did the stray cat refuse the map? It preferred to wing it and just stray.
What it teaches
You rarely get lost in one bold leap; you stray one small, reasonable step at a time.
Quick facts
What does STRAY mean?
To wander away from the proper or expected place or course.
Is STRAY a valid word?
Yes — STRAY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is STRAY?
STRAY has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does STRAY come from?
From Old French 'estraier', to wander or roam, ultimately from Latin 'extra' (outside) plus 'vagari' (to wander); related to 'astray'.
What can STRAY teach us?
You rarely get lost in one bold leap; you stray one small, reasonable step at a time.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.