Arrays

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈɹeɪz/

Definitions

1. A structured set of elements organized in a specific sequence ; to arrange or display items in an orderly fashion
2. A sequential grouping of data elements stored under one identifier ; to place objects or information systematically for presentation or use
3. A collection of related items ordered for processing or analysis ; to position or organize things deliberately and neatly

Etymology: The word "array" carries a surprising secret: it is a doublet of "ready." Both descend from a Proto-Germanic root, *raidaz, meaning "ready," which passed into Frankish and Gothic with the sense of "preparation" or "order." Those Germanic speakers gave the root to Old French and Vulgar Latin, where it became a verb meaning to put things in order, and English borrowed that verb in Middle English through Anglo-Norman. Meanwhile the Old English cousin "rād" kept the sense of condition or stipulation, and "ready" went its own way at home. The plural "arrays" is the form of the noun, and it still preserves that original idea of orderly arrangement. Lined-up soldiers, neatly ranked goods and sequences of data all belong to the same family of meaning, since each is a set of things placed deliberately in sequence.

Synonyms: collections, sets, groups, batches, orders