atray means to vex; trouble; frighten; torment; harass. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 73 out of 100.
atray is pronounced /əˈtɹeɪ/.
Why “atray” is a great word
ATRAY — [Verb] To vex, trouble, frighten, torment, or harass. From Middle English atrayen, atreyen, atreȝen, equivalent to the intensive prefix a- + tray ("to grieve, vex"). First attested c1320. Unlike "annoy," which suggests a minor, persistent nettling, or "harass," which implies systematic persecution, to atray is to inflict a profound and frightening affliction of the spirit. It is the shadow that moves against the nursery wall at midnight, the whispered rumor that turns a neighbor's glance to ice, and the cold dread that settles in the stomach long before the threat arrives—a word for the old unease that unsettles the soul before it ever touches the skin.
Etymology
From Middle English atrayen, atreyen, atreȝen, equivalent to a- + tray (“to grieve, vex”). More at tray.
verb
- To vex; trouble; frighten; torment; harass.