straggler
noun

- a person or animal that is last in a group to do something or the last to get to or leave a place

(Cambridge Dictionaries)

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Straggler derives from the verb straggle, a 15th century word meaning to wander from the proper path, stray, to rove from one's companions. Straggle may stem from a Scandinavian source, such as the Norwegian dialectal "stragla," to walk with great effort, or it may be a frequentative of the Middle English "straken," to move, go.

In the mid 16th century, straggler referred specifically to soldiers who fall behind a main group, which of course is a dangerous practice. This sense is still used today. It's also used to describe animals that stray from their group, such as in the tale of The Goat and the Goatherd from Aesop's Fables: "A goat herder tried to bring back a stray goat to his flock. He whistled and sounded his horn in vain; the straggler paid no attention to the summons."

People who are simply slower than others or who show up late are also referred to as stragglers, as this passage from Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer illustrates: " The congregation (church members) being fully assembled now, the bell rang once more to warn stragglers, and then a solemn hush fell upon the church which was only broken by the tittering and whispering of the choir in the gallery."

In the plant world however, a straggler is a plant that spreads out, sometimes moving to other areas where it's not wanted (such as a weed). This sense produced the term "straggler daisy" for instance, a plant with a reputation for invading gardens, taking over lawns and growing in shady corners that would otherwise be bare.

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SYNONYMS

dawdler, dilly-dallier, laggard, lingerer, loafer, slowpoke, procrastinator, slug, idler

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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation

"Nick has little patience for stragglers who cause meetings to start late."