Arrayment

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Dress or apparel worn by a person, especially rich or elaborate clothing ; the orderly disposition of soldiers drawn up in ranks for battle
2. Garments and finery a person puts on to be dressed ; the methodical positioning of a body of troops into formation for combat
3. An outfit or costume of formal or ornate kind ; the systematic ordering of an army into lines and divisions ready for action

Etymology: "Arrayment" is built from "array" and the suffix "-ment." "Array" came into Middle English from Old French "arayer," meaning to put in order or prepare, and it is likely related to the Germanic word behind "ready." The suffix "-ment," from Latin "-mentum" through French, turns a verb into a noun for the act or result of doing that verb. Because "array" meant to dress or equip someone as well as to arrange things, "arrayment" came to mean clothing, especially fine or formal dress, and the sense of an orderly arrangement lingered alongside it. Both senses sprang from the same idea of getting something into proper order, whether a set of troops, a set of ornaments, or a person's outfit.

Synonyms: attire, apparel, raiment