1. a domestic animal found wandering without an owner and impounded by a local authority
Usage: legal/administrative term; chiefly historical

1. to impound or take custody of a stray animal as an estray
Usage: legal/administrative term; chiefly historical

Examples

• The lost dog was brought to the pound and recorded as an estray.
• The town's estray laws required that unclaimed animals be held for thirty days.
• The farmer's horse was estrayed after wandering onto the neighbor's property.
• Under common law, an estray became the property of the crown if not claimed.
• The local authority would estray any livestock found roaming the village streets.