From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
strand
n 1: 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"
2: line consisting of a complex of fibers or filaments that are
twisted together to form a thread or a rope or a cable
3: a necklace made by a stringing objects together; "a string of
beads"; "a strand of pearls"; [syn: chain, string,
strand]
4: a very slender natural or synthetic fiber [syn: fibril,
filament, strand]
5: a poetic term for a shore (as the area periodically covered
and uncovered by the tides)
6: a street in west central London famous for its theaters and
hotels
v 1: leave stranded or isolated with little hope of rescue; "the
travellers were marooned" [syn: maroon, strand]
2: drive (a vessel) ashore
3: bring to the ground; "the storm grounded the ship" [syn:
ground, strand, run aground]