tray

¹

[trey]

noun

1. a flat, shallow container or receptacle made of wood, metal, etc., usually with slightly raised edges, used for carrying, holding, or displaying articles of food, glass, china, etc.

2. a removable receptacle of this shape in a cabinet, box, trunk, or the like, sometimes forming a drawer.

3. a tray and its contents.

   to order a breakfast tray from room service.

tray

²

[trey]

noun

Australian Slang.

1. a coin worth threepence.

tray

/ treɪ /

noun

1. a thin flat board or plate of metal, plastic, etc, usually with a raised edge, on which things can be carried

2. a shallow receptacle for papers, etc, sometimes forming a drawer in a cabinet or box

Word History and Origins

Origin of tray¹

before 1050; Middle English; Old English trēg, trīg; cognate with Old Swedish trö corn measure; akin to tree

Origin of tray²

1895–1900; compare earlier argot trey, tray three, a set of three, probably ultimately < Italian tre (< Latin trēs three ); trey

Word History and Origins

Origin of tray¹

Old English trieg ; related to Old Swedish trö corn measure, Old Norse treyja carrier, Greek driti tub, German Trog _trough

Example Sentences

My culinary reward came at Veera Flavors, which offered the tastiest thali—a tin tray piled high with vegetable dishes, rice, yogurt and pickles—outside of Chennai.

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Poker chip trays that can secretly read cards.

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Now it’s graduation day, when native plants coaxed from seedling trays to 1-gallon pots stand ready for planting on the crossing itself this month.

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At the front of the room stood the bishop, who blessed the bread and water in Spanish before passing the trays around for the congregation.

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Its laser cutters can load their own sheets of metal, like giant printers with automated feeder trays.

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Related Words

• plate