straggle
[ strag-uh l ]
/ ˈstræg əl /
verb (used without object), strag·gled, strag·gling.
to stray from the road, course, or line of march.
to wander about in a scattered fashion; ramble.
to spread or be spread in a scattered fashion or at irregular intervals: The trees straggle over the countryside.
Nearby words
stradivari, stradivari, antonio, stradivarius, strafe, strafford, straggle, straggler, straggly, straight, straight a, straight and narrow
Origin of straggle
1350–1400; Middle English straglen < ?
Related formsstrag·gler, nounstrag·gling·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for straggle
British Dictionary definitions for straggle
straggle
/ (ˈstræɡəl) /
verb (intr)
to go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way; stray
to linger behind or wander from a main line or part
Derived Formsstraggler, nounstraggling, adjectivestragglingly, adverbstraggly, adjective
Word Origin for straggle
C14: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to strake and stretch
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for straggle
straggle
c.1400, "to wander from the proper path, to rove from one's companions," perhaps from a Scandinavian source (cf. dialectal Norwegian stragla "to walk laboriously"), or a frequentative of straken "to move, go." Specifically of soldiers from 1520s. Related: Straggled; straggling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper