Definition of the word array

The word "array" has its origins in the Old French word "arenger", which referred to a set of armor or weapons. This word was borrowed into Middle English, where it evolved to mean "a gathering of people or things in a particular order or arrangement". In the 1300s, the word began to be used to describe a display of troops or soldiers in battle formation, known as a "rank" or "line". The word "array" comes from the old French "arrenger", which meant "to set in rank" or "to align". The meaning of the word gradually shifted over time, and in the 1500s, it began to be applied to non-military contexts, such as a row of crops or merchandise being displayed for sale. Today, the word "array" is commonly used to refer to a group or collection of things arranged in a particular way or order.