This word is at best elastic. For it is applied to all animals on earth including human beings and especially human race.

Furthermore it does have a certain appreciation to it's content.

But it is a unique verb, for example it could not be used by other verb in the past tense for example here one could not say that it is gone astrayed. It suffices to say that something has gone astray. At the same time the verb astray is complete in its meaning. Moreover this verb could be used in both utterances and in writing. For the sake of saving this verb alone it is very significant that it is left alone.

DR.HASHIM S.H. BEHBEHANI