English word origin

Etymology of stray

From Middle English stray, strey, from Anglo-Norman estray, stray, Old French estrai, from the verb (see below).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Any domestic animal that lacks an enclosure, proper place, or company, but that instead wanders at large or is lost; an estray. · A person who is lost. · An act of wandering off or going astray. · An area of common land for use by domestic animals.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English stray, strey, from Anglo-Norman estray, stray, Old French estrai, from the verb (see below).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionstrayenm
Derivation mentionestraifro

This page abbreviates 5 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "stray"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English stray"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "estray"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman estray"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "estrai"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French estrai"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "stray",
      "stray#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "strey",
      "strey#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "estray",
      "estray#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "stray",
      "stray#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "estrai",
      "estrai#Old_French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Any domestic animal that lacks an enclosure, proper place, or company, but that instead wanders at large or is lost; an estray.",
        "A person who is lost.",
        "An act of wandering off or going astray.",
        "An area of common land for use by domestic animals."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "literally",
        "historical"
      ],
      "recordId": "9fef85933196baae1143dc73bcca42a683bedd3931d7cbcaca3cdd9bf4afe23a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bc907c22e4f4f991638725ab5e5cdcdb5a37eb8eb5dc709bbf13d65bc56dbbce",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239974
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 5,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To wander, as from a direct course; to deviate, or go out of the way. · To wander from company or outside proper limits; to rove or roam at large; to go astray. · To wander from the path of duty or rectitude; to err. · To cause to stray; lead astray.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English strayen, partly from Old French estraier, from Vulgar Latin via strata, and partly from Middle English strien, streyen, streyȝen (“to spread, scatter”), from Old English strēġan (“to strew”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*sterh₃-ine-pro
Inherited-form mentionstrayenenm
Derivation mentionestraierfro
Derivation mentionstrienenm
Inherited-form mentionstrēġanang · to strew

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*sterh₃-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "strayen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English strayen"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "estraier"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French estraier"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-vul",
        "3": "via strata",
        "4": "paved road"
      },
      "expansion": "Vulgar Latin via strata"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "strien"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English strien"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "strēġan",
        "t": "to strew"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English strēġan (“to strew”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "strayen",
      "strayen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "estraier",
      "estraier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "via",
      "via#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "strata",
      "strata#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "strien",
      "strien#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "streyen",
      "streyen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "streyȝen",
      "streyȝen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "strēġan",
      "stregan#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To wander, as from a direct course; to deviate, or go out of the way.",
        "To wander from company or outside proper limits; to rove or roam at large; to go astray.",
        "To wander from the path of duty or rectitude; to err.",
        "To cause to stray; lead astray."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "3e23e4ae335322eff6340bd06a6fb304dc4f34d424f4c8d9ca639ca39ed08e98",
      "rawRecordSha256": "93e534520cbe04df8907fe116079f05db2bf967bba150482c6b55a6b19ee7990",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239975
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

adj

Having gone astray; strayed; wandering. · In the wrong place; misplaced.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English stray, from the noun (see above).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionstrayenm

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "stray"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English stray"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "stray",
      "stray#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Having gone astray; strayed; wandering.",
        "In the wrong place; misplaced."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "57441f1df0faa258190c7d23c46e39ea218eb16d9ce16f3838ffde08c09b2db8",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c2018fd758353802950ebf7b3404f1c63e08e0b61a3f7402b9bd3e64032dce63",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239976
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for stray →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c3RyYXk