array
/əˈreɪ
/noun
1An impressive display or range of a particular type of thing: there is a vast array of literature on the topic a bewildering array of choices...
- Judges sit in the audience looking at an impressive array of films ranging from TV commercials to animation for the Internet, from episodes of TV series to indie works.
- The FanFest is part museum, part amusement park and part carnival, with a vast array of displays, presentations, games and interactive activities.
- It has performed a vast array of productions ranging from drama plays, cabarets, pantos, and Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas to hit musicals like Carousel, Anything Goes and My Fair Lady.
2An ordered series or arrangement: several arrays of solar panels will help provide power the lens focuses light on to an array of pixels...
- In tests, they found that neatly ordered arrays of beads caught more mist than random, disordered ones did.
- Biological membranes are an important example of such ordered two-dimensional arrays.
- The form of solid matter that is simplest to think about is a crystal, in which the constituent atoms are ordered in the pattern of a regular array.
Synonyms
arrangement, assembling, assemblage, line-up, formation, ordering, disposition, marshalling, muster, amassing;
show, display, exhibition, presentation, exposition, spectacle;
agglomeration, collection, aggregation, raft, range, variety, assortment, diversity, mixture, selection
2.1An arrangement of troops: I shall have my men drawn up here in battle array ready to come to your help...
- His legionnaires marched in full battle array, incorporated an advance guard, and maintained tactical integrity on the move.
- Gone is the need for massed arrays of troops in static positions waiting to confront a Soviet attack in Western Europe as during the Cold War years.
- Military forces conducting operations must anticipate encountering an array of friendly, hostile, and neutral persons within the three blocks.
2.2 Mathematics An arrangement of quantities or symbols in rows and columns; a matrix.A matrix is a rectangular array of symbols, usually numbers, neatly arranged in columns and rows....
- Equivalently, physicists can represent a given quantum system by a matrix - a square array of whole numbers.
- He describes matrix multiplication (which he thinks of as composition so he has not yet reached the concept of matrix algebra) and the inverse of a matrix in the particular context of the arrays of coefficients of quadratic forms.
2.3 Computing An indexed set of related elements.The new sensor allows the user to communicate with each sensor element of the array by computer....
- Wolfram first formulated these ideas in studies of cellular automata - geometric arrays of minimalist computing elements, called cells.
- A SAN is composed of servers or workstations and storage devices such as disk arrays or tape subsystems that are connected by a network infrastructure.
3 [mass noun] literary Elaborate or beautiful clothing: he was clothed in fine array...
- Behind these were many ranks of pixies, gnomes and nymphs, and in the rear a thousand beautiful fairies floated along in gorgeous array.
Synonyms
dress, attire, apparel, clothing, garb, finery;
garments
informal garms
4 Law A list of jurors impanelled.Before the swearing of any of the jurors, 15 the defendant or prosecutor in England and Ireland could challenge the array of jurors compiled by the sheriff....
- A Trib investigation of the last 18 months of jury arrays, the complete lists of everyone summoned for criminal jury duty, found a consistent pattern of racial exclusion.
- The randomness is concerned with the selection of the members of the public for the panel, the selection of the array.
verb
1 [with object and adverbial of place] Display or arrange (things) in a particular way: the manifesto immediately divided the forces arrayed against him...
- Should we give up because powerful forces are arrayed against us?
- He knows that vast forces are arrayed against him.
- These forces were arrayed across the battle-space in three forward operating bases, separated by approximately 40 kilometers.
Synonyms
arrange, assemble, draw up, group, order, range, place, position, set out, set forth, dispose, marshal, muster;
lay out, display, exhibit, put on show, put on display, put on view, expose to view, unveil, present, uncover, reveal
2 [with object] (usually be arrayed in) Dress someone in (the clothes specified): they were arrayed in Hungarian national dress...
- In an effort to pass off Matthew as a commoner, he was arrayed in some outgrown clothes of Krist's: a long-sleeved beige shirt, very baggy indigo jeans, and red and white sneakers.
- The members of the teams were arrayed in fancy costumes, and devoted themselves to getting as much fun as possible out of the encounter, rather than serious cricket.
- He was arrayed in robes of black and scarlet and he wore a golden circlet on his head.
Synonyms
dress, attire, clothe, robe, garb, deck, deck out, drape, accoutre, outfit, fit out, costume, get up, turn out, trick out/up
informal doll up
archaic apparel, bedizen, caparison, invest, habit, trap out
3 [with object] Law Impanel (a jury).Despite this admission, the triers found that the sheriff had impartially arrayed the panel. After the third jury found O'Doherty guilty, the government transported him Australia.
Origin
Middle English (in the senses 'preparedness' and 'place in readiness'): from Old French arei (noun), areer (verb), based on Latin ad- 'towards' + a Germanic base meaning 'prepare'.
Rhymes
- well-descended
- well-deserved
- well-deserving
- well designed
- well-desired
- well-determined
- well-developed
- well-devised
- well-dieted
- well-digested
- well-digger
- well-directed
- well-disciplined
- well-disguised
- well-dish
- well-dispersed
- well disposed
- well-disputed
- well-dissected
- well-dissembled
- well-distinguished
- well-divided
- well-documented
- well-doer
- well-doing