verb
- present participle of estray; to wander or stray away; to go astray
Usage: archaic or literary; often used in legal or historical contexts regarding lost or wandering animals
Examples
- The cattle were estraying across the unfenced pasture.
- Medieval laws addressed estraying livestock and their recovery by owners.
- The sheep were estraying from the flock when the shepherd found them.
- Estraying animals were often impounded until claimed by their owners.