STRAY


Meaning of STRAY in English

■ verb

1》 move away aimlessly from a group or from the right course or place.

↘(of the eyes or a hand) move idly in a specified direction.

2》 be unfaithful to a spouse or partner.

■ adjective

1》 not in the right place; separated from a group.

2》 (of a domestic animal) having no home or having wandered away from home.

3》 Physics arising naturally but unwanted and usually detrimental: ~ voltages.

■ noun

1》 a ~ person or thing, especially a domestic animal.

2》 ( ~s ) electrical phenomena interfering with radio reception.

Derivatives

~er noun

Origin

ME: shortening of Anglo-Norman Fr. and OFr. e~er (v.), Anglo-Norman Fr. strey (n.), partly from a~ .

Concise Oxford English vocab.      Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка.