Where does “stray” come from?
Stray comes from Middle English strey and straw, from Old English strēaw, from Proto-Germanic strawą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ster-, a root meaning to spread or scatter.
stray (English): Any domestic animal that has no enclosure, or its...
Definitions
- Any domestic animal that has no enclosure, or its...
Ancestry of “stray”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | stray | — |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | estray | — |
| 3 | Old French | estraier | to wander; to roam |
| 4 | Latin | extravagari | to wander beyond |
| 5 | Latin | vagari | present active infinitive of vagor; to wander,... |
| 6 | Latin | vagus | wandering, rambling, strolling; uncertain, vague |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | wagos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | Hwogos | — |