a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole
"he tried to pick up the strands of his former life"
"I could hear several melodic strands simultaneously"
line consisting of a complex of fibers or filaments that are twisted together to form a thread or a rope or a cable
"The sailor carefully untied the loose strand from the main cable before climbing aboard."
a poetic term for a shore (as the area periodically covered and uncovered by the tides)
"The weary ship drifted onto the silent strand, where the retreating tide had left behind wet pebbles."
a street in west central London famous for its theaters and hotels
"During our West End trip, we decided to take a walk along Strand to see some of the historic theaters."
The shore or beach of the sea or ocean; shore; beach.
"The old sailor carefully untwisted each strand of the frayed hawser to inspect the damage inside."
Each of the strings which, twisted together, make up a yarn, rope or cord.
In plain English: A strand is a single, thin thread of something that can be part of a larger group.
"She got stranded on a deserted island during her vacation."
Usage: Use "strand" as a noun to refer specifically to an individual thread within a larger rope or cable. When describing coastal areas, prefer this term only when emphasizing its literal meaning as the sandy edge where waves wash ashore rather than using it for general beach settings.
drive (a vessel) ashore
"The captain decided to strand the old schooner on the rocky shore to avoid the incoming storm."
To run aground; to beach.
"The sailor carefully pulled on the frayed edge until he managed to break a loose strand from the old rope."
To break a strand of (a rope).
In plain English: To strand someone is to leave them behind so they cannot get where they need to go.
"The sudden storm stranded us on the beach for hours."
A surname.
"John Strand won the local chess tournament last weekend."
The word "strand" comes from Old English and originally meant a sea-shore or edge before traveling into Middle English with that same meaning. Its deep roots trace back to ancient concepts of borders and spreading out, eventually leading to related words like German Strand and Danish strand across the language family.