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Origin and history of array

array(v.)

mid-14c., "marshal (troops), arrange (an army for battle);" late 14c., "put (things) in order, arrange; get (something) ready, prepare; equip, fit out, put clothing on; adorn, decorate," from Old French areyer, earlier areer "to put in order," from Vulgar Latin *ar-redare "put in order" (source also of Italian arredare), from Latin ad "to" (see ad-) + *redum, from Frankish *ræd- "ready" or some cognate Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *raidjan "to place in order" (source also of Gothic garadis, Old English geræde "ready;" see ready (adj.)). Related: Arrayed; arraying.

array(n.)

mid-14c., "order or position of things, arrangement, sequence," from Anglo-French arrai, Old French aroi, arroi (12c.), from areer "to put in order" (see array (v.)). From late 14c. as "rank or line of soldiers; troops drawn up in battle formation," also "equipment, furnishings, gear; splendid furnishings, grandeur, magnificence." The meaning "an orderly assemblage" is from 1814.

also from mid-14c.

Entries linking to array

ready(adj.)

Middle English redi, with adjectival suffix -i (as in busy, crafty, hungry, etc.) + Old English ræde, geræde "prepared, ready, suitably equipped;" of a horse, "ready for riding."

This is reconstructed to be from Proto-Germanic *(ga)raitha- "arranged" (source also of Old Frisian rede "ready," Middle Dutch gereit, Old High German reiti, Middle High German bereite, German bereit, Old Norse greiðr "ready, plain," Gothic garaiþs "ordered, arranged"), which is perhaps from PIE root *reidh- "to ride" (see ride (v.)).

Lengthened in Middle English by change of ending. Sense of "at hand, present, available" is late 12c. Of money, "immediately available," c. 1300, hence slang noun the ready "cash" (1680s). Phrase at the ready "in the position of a soldier's firearm after the command '(make) ready!'" is attested from 1837. As an adverb, c. 1300, "at hand." A ready-reckoner (1757) was a book of tabulated calculations of the sort used in ordinary business and housekeeping.

disarray(v.)

late 14c., "break up military formation;" early 15c. in general sense "throw out of arrangement or into disorder;" see dis- "reverse of" + array (v.) "put in order, arrange." Perhaps formed on the analogy of Old French desareer. Related: Disarrayed.

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regalia
1530s, "rights and powers of a king, royal privilege," from Latin regalia "royal things," noun use of neuter plural of regalis from rex (genitive regis) "king" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct in a straight line," thus "to lead,
align
early 15c., "to copulate" (of wolves, dogs), literally "to range (things) in a line," from Old French alignier "set, lay in line" (Modern French aligner), from à "to" (see ad-) + lignier "to line," from Latin lineare "reduce to a straight line," from linea (see line (n.)). Transi
range
c. 1200, renge, "row or line of persons" (especially hunters or soldiers), from Old French reng, renge "a row, line, rank," from Frankish *hring or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *hringaz "circle, ring, something curved" (from nasalized form of PIE root *sker- (2
phalanx
1550s, "line of battle in close ranks," from Latin phalanx "compact body of heavily armed men in battle array," or directly...from Greek phalanx (genitive phalangos) "line of battle, battle array," also "finger or toe bone," originally "round piece...In array the shields formed a continuous bulwark, and the ranks were placed at such intervals that five spears which were...
matrix
The mathematical sense of "a rectangular array of quantities (usually square)" is because it is considered as a set of components...The logical sense of "array of possible combinations of truth-values" is attested by 1914....
diastole
dilation," from diastellein, from dia "through; thoroughly, entirely" (see dia-) + stellein "to set in order, arrange, array...
tactics
especially "tactics in war," adjective to taxis "arrangement, an arranging, the order or disposition of an army, battle array...
arrange
late 14c., arengen, "draw up a line of battle," from Old French arengier "put in a row, put in battle order" (12c., Modern French arranger), from a- "to" (see ad-) + rangier "set in a row" (Modern French ranger), from rang "rank," from Frankish *hring or a similar Germanic source
arrangement
"act of arraigning, act of putting in proper order," 1740, from French arrangement (Old French arengement), from arranger "arrange" (see arrange). The meaning "that which is put in order, combination of parts or materials" is from 1800. The sense in music, "adaptation of a compos
table
Middle English, from Old French table, tabel "board, square panel, plank; writing table; picture; food, fare" (11c.), and also a survival of late Old English tabele "flat and relatively thin surface of some hard material," especially "writing tablet (of slabs of wood, etc.,), gam

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