(人或物)掉队、落后、零散地走/延伸;也可指(头发、植物等)蓬乱地散开。
/ˈstræɡəl/
The children began to straggle behind as the walk got longer.
走得越久,孩子们开始慢慢掉队。
As the parade moved through the city, a few spectators straggled along the sidewalks, following at a distance.
游行队伍穿过城市时,有些观众沿着人行道零散地跟着,隔着一段距离尾随。
straggle 常被认为与中古英语及北欧语系中表示“散乱地走、偏离队伍”的词有关,带有“不整齐地分散”的意象。它在英语里逐渐固定为“掉队、零落分散”的含义,并可引申到“头发/枝叶散乱”。