(a) Law A domestic animal found wandering away from its home or enclosure and subject to impoundment and, if unredeemed, to forfeiture, an estray; -- also coll.; also, the right to impound an estray and gain legal possession of it through forfeiture; weif and ~; (b) in cpd.: ~ time, a time for rounding up stray animals.

The action of wandering.

In phrases: (a) on ~, of a domesticated animal: astray; gon on (in) ~, to stray from the owner; (b) sterten on ~, to deviate from a straight course, swerve, turn aside, ?draw back; ?also, leap about [last quot.]; straien on ~, of a steed: wander about loose without a rider; striken on ~, deviate from a straight course, swerve, turn aside, ?draw back; (c) sterten on (upon) ~, stiren on ~, of a soldier: to move off the right path so as to come into the open or within range, straggle; (d) on (the) ~, at random, in a random scatter; (e) oute of ~, fig. morally astray, away from a moral direction, into error; striken oute of ~, to swerve, turn aside, ?draw back.