I. ˈstrānjə(r) noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French estrangier foreign, foreigner, from estrange strange, foreign
1. : one who is strange: as
a.
(1) : one who comes from a foreign land : foreigner
(2) : a resident alien ; specifically : ger
b. : one not in the place where his home is ; specifically : one in the family or house of another as a guest, visitor, or intruder
thy stranger that is within thy gates — Deut 5:14(Authorized Version)
c. : a person or thing that is unknown or with whom one is unacquainted
a total stranger
it's a stranger — and so was the young woman who owns it — Hartley Howard
d.
(1) : one who does not belong to or is not permitted to take part in the activities of a group, organization, or society
(2) : someone not a priest : layman
e. : an acquaintance who has been long absent : an acquaintance who has not been seen for a longer period than usual
f. or stranger in blood : one who is not a relation ; specifically : one not closely enough related or not so circumstanced as to give rise to the consideration of love and affection
risk giving inheritance rights to offspring begotten by some stranger — H.M.Parshley
g. : one not privy or party to an act, contract, or title : a mere intruder or intermeddler : one that interferes without right : a third party : volunteer
actual possession of land gives a good title against a stranger having no title
h.
(1) obsolete : something that is not indigenous : something (as a plant or animal) of exotic origin
(2) : something not of the nature of or characteristic of a person, class, thing, or set of concepts
i. : a newborn child
2.
a. : one ignorant of or unacquainted with a thing, person, fact, or set of ideas
a man of sociable disposition … though a stranger to books — C.H.Grandgent
no stranger to aesthetic studies — Joseph Frank
b. : one spiritually alienated from an object or group
a stranger to his religion — Ruth Park
living as strangers to themselves — Marguerite Young
3. : any of several things (as a tea leaf floating in a cup of tea) or occurrences (as a moth flying toward one) that according to folklore forebode the arrival of an unexpected visitor
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from stranger (I)
: of, relating to, or being a stranger : foreign , alien
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: stranger (I)
obsolete : estrange , alienate