array

1 of 2

verb

ar·ray ə-ˈrā

arrayed; arraying; arrays

Synonyms of array next

transitive verb

: to dress or decorate especially in splendid or impressive attire : adorn

… he had already arrayed himself in his best clothes.—

Thomas Hardy

: to set or place in order : draw up, marshal

the forces arrayed against us

: to set or set forth in order (something, such as a jury) for the trial of a cause

: to arrange or display in or as if in an array

The … data are arrayed in descending order.—

Ed Burnett

arrayer noun

array

2 of 2

noun

: an imposing group : large number

faced a whole array of problems

also : variety, assortment

a broad array of styles

: a regular and imposing grouping or arrangement : order

lined up … in soldierly array—

Donald Barthelme

law : an orderly listing of jurors impaneled

: clothing, attire

: rich or beautiful apparel : finery

: a body of soldiers : militia

the baron and his feudal array

a(1)

: a number of mathematical elements arranged in rows and columns

(2)

: a data structure in which similar elements of data are arranged in a table

: a series of statistical data arranged in classes in order of magnitude

: a group of elements forming a complete unit

an antenna array

Examples of array in a Sentence

Verb She arrayed herself in rich velvets and satins. a door arrayed for the holidays with a beautiful evergreen wreath Noun an array of solar panels an array of baseball gloves in the corner of his room

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Verb

Six buses were arrayed outside that legendary Upper West Side emporium, a culinary temple to smoked fish and secular, progressive Judaism. —

Leslie Camhi, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2024 The headlamps are arrayed in a slim horizontal row at the top, outer edges of the fascia and below, there is a stack of thin, horizontal light elements for the running lamps. —

Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

Noun

Defensive coordinator Robert Livingston’s unit had an array of stars on Saturday. —

Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024 Tropical Storm Rafael spaghetti models Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. —

Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for array

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English arayen, arrayen "to put in order, prepare, marshal (troops), equip, adorn," borrowed from Anglo-French arraier, arreyer, aroier "to arrange, order, marshal, set in order (a jury, assize), equip, attire, adorn" (continental Old French areer), going back to Vulgar Latin *arrēdāre, from Latin ad- ad- + Vulgar Latin *-rēdāre, in *conrēdāre, presumed adaptation of Gothic garedan "to make provision for" — more at curry entry 1

Note: The forms arrai-, aroi- presumably represent generalizations of the tonic stem of areer. The verb *arrēdāre is common to most Romance languages: Old Occitan arezar "to put in order," Catalan arrear "to provide," Spanish, "to adorn, decorate," Italian arredare "to furnish, equip."

Noun

Middle English aray, array, arraye "preparation, arrangement, condition, line of soldiers, equipment, adornment," borrowed from Anglo-French arrai, arraie "order, arrangement, condition, ordered list of jurors, body of men, entourage, equipment," noun derivative of arraier "to order, array entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Time Traveler

The first known use of array was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Array.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/array. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

array

1 of 2 verb

ar·ray ə-ˈrā

: to set in order : draw up

soldiers arrayed for review

: to dress especially in fine clothing : adorn

arrayer noun

array

2 of 2 noun

: regular order or arrangement

also : persons (as troops) in array

: rich or beautiful clothing

: an impressive group : large number

a whole array of problems

also : variety sense 2, assortment

: a group of mathematical elements (as numbers or letters) arranged in rows and columns

Legal Definition

array

1 of 2 transitive verb

ar·ray ə-ˈrā

: to set (a jury) for trial

specifically : to set (a jury) by calling out the names of the jurors one at a time compare impanel

array

2 of 2 noun

: the group of people summoned to serve as jurors from which the jury will be chosen

also : a list of the jurors' names see also challenge to the array at challenge compare venire

Last Updated: 19 Nov 2024 - Updated example sentences

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array

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of array in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near array

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Legal Definition