Plural of stray; animals without homes that wander around, or to move away from a path or group.
From Old French 'estraier' (to wander, go astray), possibly from Latin 'extra' (outside) plus 'vagari' (to wander). The word entered Middle English and split into noun (a wandering animal) and verb (the act of wandering) meanings.
Stray animals show us how humans dominate environments—a 'stray' only exists because we have concepts like ownership and 'proper' places for animals. In nature, there are no strays, just animals living where they live.
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