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ar·ray (ə-rā)
Share:
tr.v. ar·rayed, ar·ray·ing, ar·rays
1. To set out for display or use; place in an orderly arrangement: arrayed the whole regiment on the parade ground.
2. To dress, especially in fine clothes; adorn.
n.
1. An orderly, often imposing arrangement: an array of royal jewels.
2. An impressively large number, as of persons or objects: an array of heavily armed troops; an array of spare parts.
3. Splendid attire; fine clothing.
4. Mathematics
a. A rectangular arrangement of quantities in rows and columns, as in a matrix.
b. Numerical data linearly ordered by magnitude.
5. An arrangement of usually identical devices, often sensors, that function as a unit: an array of solar panels.
6. Computers A group of memory elements accessed by one or more indices.

[Middle English arraien, from Anglo-Norman arraier, from Vulgar Latin *arrēdāre; see reidh- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.