*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of array

From Middle English arrayen, from Anglo-Norman arraier (compare Old French arraier, areer (“to put in order”)), from Vulgar Latin *arrēdō (“to put in order, arrange, array”), from *rēdum (“preparation, order”), from Fran

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To clothe and ornament; to adorn or attire. · To lay out in an orderly arrangement; to deploy or marshal. · To set in order, as a jury, for the trial of a cause; that is, to call them one at a time.

noun

Clothing and ornamentation; raiment. · A collection laid out to be viewed in full. · An orderly series, arrangement or sequence. · Order; a regular and imposing arrangement; disposition in regular lines; hence, order of battle.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English arrayen, from Anglo-Norman arraier (compare Old French arraier, areer (“to put in order”)), from Vulgar Latin *arrēdō (“to put in order, arrange, array”), from *rēdum (“preparation, order”), from Frankish *raid or *raidā (“preparation, order”) or Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 (garaiþs, “ready, prepared”), from Proto-Germanic *raidaz, *raidiz (“ready”). Compare Old English rād (“condition, stipulation”), Old High German antreitī (“order, rank”). Doublet of ready.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 7 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "arrayen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English arrayen"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "arraier"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman arraier"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fro",
        "2": "arraier"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French arraier"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-vul",
        "3": "*arrēdō",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to put in order, arrange, array"
      },
      "expansion": "Vulgar Latin *arrēdō (“to put in order, arrange, array”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frk",
        "3": "*raid"
      },
      "expansion": "Frankish *raid"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "got",
        "3": "𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃",
        "4": "",
        "5": "ready, prepared"
      },
      "expansion": "Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 (garaiþs, “ready, prepared”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*raidaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *raidaz"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "rād",
        "t": "condition, stipulation"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English rād (“condition, stipulation”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "antreitī",
        "3": "antreitī",
        "t": "order, rank"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German antreitī (“order, rank”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ready"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of ready"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "arrayen",
      "arrayen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "arraier",
      "arraier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "arraier",
      "arraier#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "areer",
      "areer#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "*arrēdō",
      "Reconstruction:Latin/arredo"
    ],
    [
      "*rēdum",
      "Reconstruction:Latin/redum"
    ],
    [
      "*raid",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/raid"
    ],
    [
      "*raidā",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/raidā"
    ],
    [
      "𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃",
      "𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃#Gothic"
    ],
    [
      "*raidaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/raidaz"
    ],
    [
      "*raidiz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/raidiz"
    ],
    [
      "rād",
      "rad#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "antreitī",
      "antreiti#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "ready",
      "ready#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To clothe and ornament; to adorn or attire.",
        "To lay out in an orderly arrangement; to deploy or marshal.",
        "To set in order, as a jury, for the trial of a cause; that is, to call them one at a time."
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 43378
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Clothing and ornamentation; raiment.",
        "A collection laid out to be viewed in full.",
        "An orderly series, arrangement or sequence.",
        "Order; a regular and imposing arrangement; disposition in regular lines; hence, order of battle."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 43377
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 7,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for array →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXJyYXk