Was Does Straggle Mean?

(Entry 1 of 2) intransitive verb. 1 : to wander from the direct course or way : rove, stray. 2 : to trail off from others of its kind little cabins straggling off into the woods.

What does straggled hair mean?

to move or spread in a messy way and in small numbers or amounts: I put my hair up because I don't like it straggling down my back.

Where did the word stragglers come from?

When something's straggling, it is lagging behind and sprawling out in various directions. It comes from the verb straggle, or "wander from the proper path" as of 1400. It's believed to come from a Scandinavian root, related to the Norwegian word stragla, "to walk laboriously."