stray

noun

1. Any domestic animal that lacks an enclosure, proper place, or company, but that instead wanders at large or is lost; an estray.
2. (figuratively, literally)A person who is lost.

   “But vvhat a vvretched, and diſconſolate Hermitage is that Houſe, vvhich is not viſited by thee [God], and vvhat a VVayue, and Stray is that Man, that hath not thy Markes vpon him?”

3. An act of wandering off or going astray.
4. (historical)An area of common land for use by domestic animals.
5. (British, archaic)An article of movable property, of which the owner is not known (see waif).

   “waifs and strays”

6. An instance of atmospheric interference.

   “This invention relates broadly to radio communication, but more particularly to a radio receiving system used for the reception of high frequency current signals wherever they are subject to interference from "static" or strays of an untuned or aperiodic character.”

   “Because of their shortness, such signals are usually easy to distinguish from the bomb returns but, when such a stray is recorded just before the bomb return, too close to be distinguished by ear […]”

   “Electromagnetic interference EMI, radio interference RI, television interference TVI, and radio frequency interference RFI, can all be described as a confusion to received radio signals due to strays and undesirable signals.”

7. (slang)A casual or offhand insult.
8. A submissive that has not committed to submit to any particular dominant, particulary in petplay.
9. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis)Ellipsis of stray bullet.

   “catch a stray”

   “Hit by a stray, but I pray that there's a hood in heaven”

verb

1. (intransitive)To wander, as from a direct course; to deviate, or go out of the way.

   “Thames among the wanton valleys strays.”

2. (intransitive)To wander from company or outside proper limits; to rove or roam at large; to go astray.
3. (intransitive)To wander from the path of duty or rectitude; to err.

   “November 2 2014, Daniel Taylor, "Sergio Agüero strike wins derby for Manchester City against 10-man United," guardian.co.uk It was a derby that left Manchester United a long way back in Manchester City’s wing-mirrors and, in the worst moments, straying dangerously close to being their own worst enemy.”

4. (transitive)To cause to stray; lead astray.

   “Hath not else his eye / Strayed his affection in unlawful love,”

   “To ease myself I was compelled to leave my basket behind me, trusting to return and find it, if I should ever reach safety and discover on what pathless hill I had been strayed.”

adj

1. Having gone astray; strayed; wandering.

   “The alley is full of stray cats rummaging through the garbage.”

   “The organisation fills many gaps left by the state, operating a dizzying array of services, including homes for victims of domestic violence, food banks and a shelter for stray animals.”

2. In the wrong place; misplaced.

   “a stray comma”

   “a stray bullet”