trey

English

Etymology

From Middle English treye, from Anglo-Norman trei or treis, from Old French treis (“three”). Doublet of three.

Pronunciation

• enPR: trā, IPA^(key): /tɹeɪ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: tray, trait (one pronunciation)
• Rhymes: -eɪ

Noun

trey (plural treys)

1. (card games, occasionally dice games) A playing card or die with the rank of three.
   • 1674, Charles Cotton, chapter 6, in The Compleat Gamester‎, London: R. Cutler, page 81:

     Before you begin the Game at Picket, you must throw out of the Pack the Deuces, Treys, Fours and Fives, and play with the rest of the Cards, which are in number thirty and six.

   • 1929, Dashiell Hammett, chapter 11, in Red Harvest‎:

     He had been a pretty good guy, straight as ace-deuce-trey-four-five, till he got on the force.

   • 1948 January 1, “Deck of Cards” (track 20), in Famous Country Music Makers‎, performed by Tex Ritter:

     You see, Sir, when I look at the Ace it reminds me that there is but one God. The deuce reminds me that the bible is divided into two parts; the Old and New Testaments. And when I see the trey I think of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

   • 1982, Stephen King, The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands:

     Davidson had caught a trey which did not seem to improve his hand, yet he threw three dollars into the pot.

2. (card games, dice games, dominoes) A score of three in cards, dice, or dominoes.
3. (US, Canada, basketball, informal, obsolete) A three-pointer.
4. (Australia, informal) A three penny coin; a thrippence.
5. (informal) The third bearer of the same personal name in a family, often denoted by suffixed Roman numeral III.
6. The third branch of a deer's antler.

Coordinate terms

• (dice) ace, deuce, cater, cinque, sice

Related terms

• tray-trip

Translations

References

• Weisenberg, Michael (2000) The Official Dictionary of Poker. MGI/Mike Caro University. →ISBN

Anagrams

• Tyer, Tyre, trye, tyer, tyre