Standard Lemma guide

tray

name · noun · verb · 15 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /tɹeɪ/
  • trā
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: trey
  • homophone: trait (one pronunciation)
  • rhymes with -eɪ
  • CMU ARPABET: T R EY1 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A diminutive of the female given name Tracy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A small, typically rectangular or round, flat, and rigid object upon which things are carried.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • I carefully arranged the dishes on the tray and brought it upstairs.
  • Make sure that tray of eggs is properly loaded.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The items on a full tray.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly

Examples

  • Before long they had consumed a whole tray of shrimp cocktails and sent for another.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: trayful

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A component of a device into which an item is placed for use in the device's operations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The CD tray will not open.
  • The loader is responsible for placing the work on the trays for the plating machines.
  • baking tray

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A notification area used for icons and alerts.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

Topics: computing, engineering, graphical-user-interface, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A type of retail or wholesale packaging for CPUs where the processors are sold in bulk and/or with minimal packaging.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

The platform of a truck that supports the load to be hauled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bed

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

trouble; annoyance; anger

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

Alternative form of trey (“third branch of deer's antler”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

A gay trans person, particularly a man (a man who is both transgender and gay)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: LGBTQ slang

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

to place (items) on a tray

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Be sure to tray eggs with the large end up.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

to slide down a snow-covered hill on a tray from a cafeteria.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • Traying has provided collegiate fun and the occasional fatality for decades.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

verb

Meaning 13

to grieve; to annoy

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

verb

Meaning 14

to betray

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: receptacle

Narrower terms: alms dish, alms tray, cafeteria tray, cheeseboard, cheese tray, icetray, inkstand, salver, tea tray, turntable, lazy Susan

History

Etymology

From Middle English trey, from Old English trēġ, trīġ (“wooden board, tray”), from Proto-West Germanic *trauwi, from Proto-Germanic *trawją (“wooden vessel”), from Proto-Indo-European *drewo-, *dóru (“tree; wood”). Cognate with Old Norse treyja (“carrier”), Old Swedish trø (“wooden grain measure”), Low German Treechel (“dough trough”), Ancient Greek δροίτη (droítē, “tub, vat”), Sanskrit द्रोण (droṇa, “trough”). Related to trough and tree.

From Middle English traye, treie, from Old English trega (“misfortune, misery, trouble, grief, pain”), from Proto-Germanic *tregô (“mourning”), from Proto-Indo-European *dreǵh- (“unwilling, sullen, slack”). Cognate with Icelandic tregi (“sorrow, grief”), Gothic 𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌲𐍉 (trigō, “grief”).

Blend of trans + gay.

From Middle English trayen, treien, from Old English tregian (“to trouble, harass, vex”), from Proto-West Germanic *tregōn, from Proto-Germanic *tregōną (“to become tedious, become lazy, sadden”), from Proto-Indo-European *dreǵh- (“unwilling, sullen, slack”).

From Middle English trayen, from Old French trair (“to betray”), from Latin tradō (“hand over, betray”).

Across languages

Translations

158 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: skinkbord — object on which things are carried
  • Albanian: aplladhe — object on which things are carried
  • Albanian: mbajtëse — object on which things are carried
  • Southern Altai: поднос (podnos) — object on which things are carried
  • Arabic: صِينِيَّة (ṣīniyya) — object on which things are carried
  • Arabic: صِينِيَّة (ṣīniyya) — object on which things are carried
  • Arabic: تِبْسي (tibsi) — object on which things are carried
  • Arabic: صينية (ṣaníyye) — object on which things are carried
  • Armenian: սկուտեղ (skuteġ) — object on which things are carried
  • Old Armenian: սկուտեղ (skuteł) — object on which things are carried
  • Old Armenian: սկուտղ (skutł) — object on which things are carried
  • Azerbaijani: sini — object on which things are carried
  • Azerbaijani: podnos — object on which things are carried
  • Azerbaijani: təpsi — object on which things are carried
  • Azerbaijani: məcməyi — object on which things are carried
  • Bashkir: батмус (batmus) — object on which things are carried
  • Belarusian: падно́с (padnós) — object on which things are carried
  • Bengali: পরাত (porat) — object on which things are carried
  • Biatah Bidayuh: par — object on which things are carried
  • Bulgarian: по́днос (pódnos) — object on which things are carried
  • Bulgarian: подно́с (podnós) — object on which things are carried
  • Bulgarian: табла (tabla) — object on which things are carried
  • Burmese: လင်ပန်း (langpan:) — object on which things are carried
  • Catalan: safata — object on which things are carried
  • Chinese Mandarin: 托盤 /托盘 (tuōpán) — object on which things are carried
  • Chinese Mandarin: 盤 /盘 (pán) — object on which things are carried
  • Czech: tác — object on which things are carried
  • Czech: tácek — object on which things are carried
  • Czech: podnos — object on which things are carried
  • Danish: bakke — object on which things are carried
  • Dutch: dienblad — object on which things are carried
  • Esperanto: pleto — object on which things are carried
  • Estonian: kandik — object on which things are carried
  • Finnish: tarjotin — object on which things are carried
  • Finnish: taso — object on which things are carried
  • Finnish: kehikko — object on which things are carried
  • French: plateau — object on which things are carried
  • French: cabaret — object on which things are carried
  • Galician: bandexa — object on which things are carried
  • Georgian: ლანგარი (langari) — object on which things are carried
  • German: Tablett — object on which things are carried
  • Greek: δίσκος (dískos) — object on which things are carried
  • Hebrew: מַגָּשׁ (magásh) — object on which things are carried
  • Hindi: ट्रे (ṭre) — object on which things are carried
  • Hindi: तश्तरी (taśtarī) — object on which things are carried
  • Hindi: थाल (thāl) — object on which things are carried
  • Hungarian: tálca — object on which things are carried
  • Icelandic: bakki — object on which things are carried
  • Ido: pleto — object on which things are carried
  • Indonesian: nampan — object on which things are carried
  • Irish: tráidire — object on which things are carried
  • Italian: vassoio — object on which things are carried
  • Japanese: 盆 (bon) — object on which things are carried
  • Japanese: トレイ (torei) — object on which things are carried
  • Kazakh: поднос (podnos) — object on which things are carried
  • Khmer: ថាស (thaah) — object on which things are carried
  • Korean: 쟁반 (jaengban) — object on which things are carried
  • Korean: 식판 (sikpan) — object on which things are carried
  • Korean: 트레이 (teurei) — object on which things are carried
  • Kyrgyz: батыныс (batınıs) — object on which things are carried
  • Kyrgyz: поднос (podnos) — object on which things are carried
  • Kyrgyz: батынос (batınos) — object on which things are carried
  • Ladino: tefsin — object on which things are carried
  • Ladino: tifsin — object on which things are carried
  • Lao: ຖາດ (thāt) — object on which things are carried
  • Latin: ferculum — object on which things are carried
  • Latin: discus — object on which things are carried
  • Latvian: paplāte — object on which things are carried
  • Lithuanian: padėklas — object on which things are carried
  • Lithuanian: dėklas — object on which things are carried
  • Macedonian: послужавник (poslužavnik) — object on which things are carried
  • Malay: dulang — object on which things are carried
  • Malay: baki — object on which things are carried
  • Māori: paepae — object on which things are carried
  • Middle English: trey — object on which things are carried
  • Norwegian Bokmål: brett — object on which things are carried
  • Dari: پَتْنُوسْ (patnūs) — object on which things are carried
  • Dari: پَدْنُوسْ (padnūs) — object on which things are carried
  • Iranian Persian: سینی (sini) — object on which things are carried
  • Polish: tacka — object on which things are carried
  • Polish: taca — object on which things are carried
  • Portuguese: bandeja — object on which things are carried
  • Portuguese: tabuleiro — object on which things are carried
  • Romanian: tavă — object on which things are carried
  • Russian: подно́с (podnós) — object on which things are carried
  • Russian: лото́к (lotók) — object on which things are carried
  • Russian: поддо́н (poddón) — object on which things are carried
  • Serbo-Croatian: послу̀жа̄внӣк — object on which things are carried
  • Serbo-Croatian: та̏бља — object on which things are carried
  • Serbo-Croatian: та̀цна — object on which things are carried
  • Serbo-Croatian: пла̀дањ — object on which things are carried
  • Serbo-Croatian: poslùžāvnīk — object on which things are carried
  • Serbo-Croatian: tȁblja — object on which things are carried
  • Serbo-Croatian: tàcna — object on which things are carried
  • Serbo-Croatian: plàdanj — object on which things are carried
  • Sicilian: guantera — object on which things are carried
  • Slovak: podnos — object on which things are carried
  • Slovak: tácka — object on which things are carried
  • Slovak: tácňa — object on which things are carried
  • Slovene: pladenj — object on which things are carried
  • Spanish: bandeja — object on which things are carried
  • Spanish: charola — object on which things are carried
  • Spanish: trey — object on which things are carried
  • Spanish: palangana — object on which things are carried
  • Swahili: uteo — object on which things are carried
  • Swedish: bricka — object on which things are carried
  • Tajik: сини (sin-i) — object on which things are carried
  • Tatar: сыйтабак (sıytabaq) — object on which things are carried
  • Tày: bôm — object on which things are carried
  • Telugu: పళ్ళెం (paḷḷeṁ) — object on which things are carried
  • Telugu: ట్రే (ṭrē) — object on which things are carried
  • Thai: ถาด (tàat) — object on which things are carried
  • Thai: กระบะ (grà-bà) — object on which things are carried
  • Tibetan: ཤིང་ཁྲོལ — object on which things are carried
  • Turkish: tepsi — object on which things are carried
  • Turkish: sini — object on which things are carried
  • Ottoman Turkish: تپسی (tepsi) — object on which things are carried
  • Ottoman Turkish: سینی (sini) — object on which things are carried
  • Turkmen: podnos — object on which things are carried
  • Ukrainian: підно́с (pidnós) — object on which things are carried
  • Ukrainian: та́ця (tácja) — object on which things are carried
  • Urdu: ٹِرے (ṭire) — object on which things are carried
  • Urdu: ٹْرے (ṭre) — object on which things are carried
  • Urdu: سینی (senī) — object on which things are carried
  • Urdu: صینی (senī) — object on which things are carried
  • Urdu: طَبَق (tabaq) — object on which things are carried
  • Urdu: طَشْت (taśt) — object on which things are carried
  • Urdu: تَشْت (taśt) — object on which things are carried
  • Uzbek: patnis — object on which things are carried
  • Uzbek: podnos — object on which things are carried
  • Vietnamese: mâm — object on which things are carried
  • Vietnamese: khay — object on which things are carried
  • Welsh: hambwrdd — object on which things are carried
  • Yiddish: טאַץ (tats) — object on which things are carried
  • Bashkir: батмус (batmus) — items on a full tray
  • Bulgarian: поднос (podnos) — items on a full tray
  • Finnish: tarjottimellinen — items on a full tray
  • German: Tablettladung — items on a full tray
  • Greek: δίσκος (dískos) — items on a full tray
  • Turkish: tepsi — items on a full tray
  • Finnish: kelkka — component of a device
  • German: Schublade — component of a device
  • German: Fach — component of a device
  • Finnish: ilmaisinalue — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Galician: bandexa — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • German: Leiste — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Hungarian: tálca — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Indonesian: baki — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Italian: barra — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Japanese: トレイ (torei) — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Korean: 트레이 (teurei) — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Macedonian: лента (lenta) — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Polish: tacka — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Polish: zasobnik — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Portuguese: bandeja — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Portuguese: barra — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Russian: трей (trɛj) — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface
  • Serbo-Croatian: paleta sustava — notification area in a computer's graphical user interface