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tray

1
[ trey ]
/ treɪ /
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noun
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.
a removable receptacle of this shape in a cabinet, box, trunk, or the like, sometimes forming a drawer.
a tray and its contents: to order a breakfast tray from room service.
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Origin of tray

1
before 1050; Middle English; Old English trēg, trīg; cognate with Old Swedish trö corn measure; akin to tree

Other definitions for tray (2 of 2)

tray2
[ trey ]
/ treɪ /

noun Australian Slang.
a coin worth threepence.
Also called tray bit .

Origin of tray

2
1895–1900; compare earlier argot trey, tray three, a set of three, probably ultimately <Italian tre (<Latin trēsthree); cf. trey
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tray in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tray

tray
/ (treɪ) /

noun
a thin flat board or plate of metal, plastic, etc, usually with a raised edge, on which things can be carried
a shallow receptacle for papers, etc, sometimes forming a drawer in a cabinet or box

Word Origin for tray

Old English trieg; related to Old Swedish trö corn measure, Old Norse treyja carrier, Greek driti tub, German Trog trough
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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