əˈstrā adverb (or adjective)
Etymology: Middle English astray, astrayey, from Middle French estraié wandering, masterless, from estraier to roam about without a master — more at stray
1. : out of the right way : off the right path or route
mark the trail so travelers will not go astray
: away from native or familiar surroundings : lost or wandering
some circus juggernaut astray from winter quarters — A.T.Lougee
2. : into a wrong or mistaken way of thinking or acting : in or into error : wrong
the desire to escape from subjectivity … has led some modern philosophers astray — Bertrand Russell
his calculations were astray
: away from a proper or desirable course or development
originality gone astray , seduced … by the mania for novelty — J.L.Lowes
3. : wandering in mind or fancy : lost in thought
her thoughts had been entirely astray during … family devotions — W.M.Thackeray