tray

¹ American  

[trey] / treɪ /

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.

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tray ² American  

[trey] / treɪ /

noun

Australian Slang.

1. a coin worth threepence.

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tray British  

/ 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

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Etymology

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

Example Sentences

There was a tray filled with icicles, a silver bowl, and a spoon.

From Literature

Ignoring my remark, Daisy set the tray on the small table in the room and started looking over her nursing supplies.

From Literature

I hadn’t noticed all the other noise, but servants were coming and going, bringing dishes and trays and buckets and rags.

From Literature

The vegetable mélange of childhood pot pies and plastic school cafeteria trays.

From Salon

"White gold," said the facility's lead scientist, watching the final product collect in trays.

From Barron's

Related Words

• plate