▪ I. dray, n.1
(dreɪ)
Also 4–7 draye, drey(e.
[A deriv. of OE. draᵹan to draw: cf. OE. dræᵹe drag-net, also Sw. drög sledge, dray, (ON. draga, pl. drögur timber trailed along the ground).]
1. † a. A sled or cart without wheels, formerly much used for dragging wood, turf, etc. Obs.
| [1369–70 Abingdon Acc. (Camden) 17 In vna dreia empta xiiijd. In rasteis vijd. ob.] 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) III. 145 He sent it on a dreye as it were venysoun. 1398 ― Barth. De P.R. xviii. xxix. (1495) 790 In stede of a slede other of a draye. 14.. Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 617/10 Traha..a trahendo dicta, quia rotas non habet [anglice a Dreye]. 1552 Huloet, Dray or sleade whych goeth without wheles. |
b. A sled used in dragging logs in the woods. Also attrib. and Comb. U.S.
| 1902 S. E. White Blazed Trail vii. 52 A number of pines had been felled out on the ice, cut in logs, and left in expectation of ice thick enough to bear the travoy ‘dray’. 1905 Terms Forestry & Logging 36 Dray, a single sled used in dragging logs. One end of the log rests upon the sled. 1969 L. G. Sorden Lumberjack Lingo 36 Dray, two runners with a bunk in the center to haul logs out of the woods; a single sled used in dragging logs. |
† 2. ‘A little cart’ or car on wheels. Obs.
| 1565–73 Cooper Thesaurus, Curulis.. a little cart or drey hauing in it a chaire of estate. c 1610–15 Women Saints (E.E.T.S.) 48 To fasten it to her litle cart or drey. |
3. a. A low cart without sides used for carrying heavy loads: esp. that used by brewers.
| 1581 [implied in drayman]. 1611 Cotgr., Haquet, a Dray; a low and open Cart, such as London Brewers vse. 1644 Prynne & Walker Fiennes' Trial App. 32, I saw a large broad Dray..drawne into the Castle by three or foure Horses. 1703 Maundrell Journ. Jerus. (1732) Let. ii. 1 Old batter'd Horses, such as are often seen in Drays. 1862 Macm. Mag. Apr. 455 A stoppage, caused by some brewer's dray. |
b. Any two-wheeled cart. Austral. and N.Z.
| 1833 C. Sturt Exped. S. Australia I. p. xlix, They send their produce to the market..receiving supplies for home consumption, on the return of their drays or carts from thence. 1846 A. Whisker Memo Book 9 Jan. (MS.) I. 21 One of the Drays broke Down about 1 mile from the camp with shot and rum on it. 1872 C. H. Eden Wife & I in Q'sland ii. 31 A horse-dray, as known in Australia, is by no means the enormous thing its name would signify, but simply an ordinary cart on two wheels without springs. 1926 J. Doone Timely Tips for New Australians Gloss., Dray: In Australia this word denotes the springless type of cart generally being equipped with a tipping attachment. |
4. attrib. and Comb., as dray-load, dray-track; dray-cart, = sense 3 a, b; dray-plough (see quot. 1727); dray-road (see quot. 1905).
| a 1719 Addison (J.), Let him be brought into the field of election upon his *draycart. 1724 De Foe Fortunate Mistress (1854) 3 The horses were kept at work in the dray-carts. 1848 Handbk. N.Z. v. 97 Dray-carts drawn by bullocks are chiefly used. |
| 1644 Prynne & Walker Fiennes' Trial 78 A *Dray load more of Match. 1866 M. A. Barker Station Life in N.Z. (1870) vii. 49 It was preceded by two dray-loads of small rough-hewn stone piles. 1901 ‘M. Franklin’ My Brilliant Career xiv. 118 With stacks of love to all at home, and a whole dray-load for yourself, from your loving sister, Sybylla. 1959 J. Pascoe N.Z. Sheep-Station 19 Then the ‘clip’ of wool is baled and driven across the Rakaia in dray-loads to be taken by trucks to the wool sale down country. |
| 1707 Mortimer Husb. (J.), The *dray⁓plough is the best plough in Winter for miry clays. 1727–52 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Plough, Dray Plough..is made without either wheel or foot. |
| 1845 E. J. Wakefield Adv. in N.Z. II. vi. 159 The proprietors constructed a *dray-road up the steep side. 1905 Terms Forestry & Logging 36 Dray road, a narrow road, cut wide enough to allow the passage of a team and dray. 1907 Westm. Gaz. 14 Dec. 14/1 For four hot and weary days I had tramped along lonely and disused dray-roads and bridle-paths that led from a little mining township in the northern part of New South Wales to the coast. 1921 H. Guthrie-Smith Tutira xx. 188 It [sc. the pack-team] also, in olden days before the advent of a dray-road, played an important part in station activites. |
| 1859 F. Fuller Five Years' Residence in N.Z. viii. 149 Improvements..[to] his Run..[consist of] partial cuttings for the *dray-track where required to be made. 1866 J. Murray Descr. Province of Southland iii. 19 When such bridges, culverts and crossings as cannot be dispensed with are made, the track which is often on the line of an old bridle path, becomes a ‘dray track’. 1944 F. Clune Red Heart 81, I don't need any dray-tracks to find what I'm looking for. |
Hence dray v., to convey on a dray; also to dray in (U.S.). Hence ˈdraying vbl. n. Also attrib.
| 1857 Lyttelton (N.Z.) Times 13 May 8/1 Stock owners have been enabled to complete their draying operations with ease. 1858 Richmond-Atkinson Papers (1960) I. vii. 423, I have arranged with Johnny Jones that he shall have a large shepherd's house..and woolshed,—to be drayed up so as to have no waste timber. 1859 F. Fuller Five Years' Residence in N.Z. viii. 149 Such tracks may become available..for draying down the squatters' produce. 1869 M. A. Barker Station Life N. Zealand vi. (1874) 39 My house is being cut out in Christchurch and will be drayed to our station next month, a journey of fifty miles. 1905 Terms Forestry & Logging 36 Dray in, to, to drag logs from the place where they are cut directly to the skidway or landing. 1906 ‘O. Henry’ Four Million 248 A single gentleman connected with the draying business. 1906 ― Rolling Stones (1915) 13 You can get me a bunch of draying contracts. 1942 [see bobbing vbl. n.2]. |
▪ II. dray, drey, n.2 local.
(dreɪ)
Also 7 draie, draye.
[Origin unknown. ? Same word as prec.]
A squirrel's nest.
| 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 387 They..make their nests like the draies of Squirrels. a 1631 Drayton Quest of Cynthia in Campbell Spec. Brit. Poets (1819) III. 45 The nimble squirrel..Her mossy dray that makes. 1789 G. White Selborne (1853) 366 Three little young squirrels in their nest or drey as it is called in these parts. 1889 Eng. Ill. Mag. Dec. 211 [They] lay their eggs in old nests, very often in old squirrel's drays. |
▪ III. dray
obs. f. draw v.; variant of deray.
▪ IV. dray(e
obs. form of dry a.