Forms: 4 arai, 4–6 aray(e, araie, (5 arey), 5–6 arraie, arraye, 5– array. Aphet. ray. [a. Afr. arai = OF. arei (later aroi, arroi), = Pr. arrei, It. arredo, f. areer: see prec. (The final diphthong imitates the accented forms of the vb. and the primitive sb. rei.)]
I. Order of position.
1. Arrangement in line or ranks, esp. martial order. Phrases: in battle array, out of array (obs.).
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 1597. Þe bolder ouȝt we be, þei ben out of araie.
1475. Caxton, Jason, 29 b. The king of Sklauonye helde his men in araye.
1535. Coverdale, Joel ii. 7. Euery man in his goinge shal kepe his araie.
1584. Powel, Lloyd’s Cambria, 108. He followed apase and brake their Arraie.
1570–87. Holinshed, Scot. Chron. (1806), I. 44. They found them out of araie in following the chase.
1599. Greene, Alphonsus (1861), 242. Place thy men-at-arms In battle ’ray.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 887. With Horse and Chariots rankt in loose array.
1693. Mem. Count Teckely, IV. 31. Their Infantry was drawn up in Battel-array in the Plain beyond.
1776. Gibbon, Decl. & F., i. (1782), I. 16. Wedged together in the closest array.
1814. Scott, Ld. Isles, VI. xxxi. The boldest broke array.
1839. G. P. R. James, Louis XIV., III. 411. A young officer … drew his little force up in array.
b. fig.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. VI. 158. Boþe monkes and chanouns Han ride out of a-ray.
1611. Bible, Job vi. 4. The terrors of God doe set themselues in aray against mee.
1757. Young, Last Day, III. 239. All Heav’n’s terrors in array surround the ball.
1859. Helps, Friends in C., I. 77. When all Europe was distinctly marked off into Protestant and Catholic, you might bring these two great sections face to face in hostile array.
† 2. A disposition of men in martial order, a display of military force. Obs.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 1597. Al þat real aray reken schold men neuer.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 2423. Of þat host to be-holde þe huge aray.
c. 1461. Earl Oxford, in Paston Lett., 390, II. 12. If Howard purposith hym to make any aray at oure manor of Wynche.
1553. Q. Mary, in Strype, Eccl. Mem., III. App. i. 3. And that ye stir not in a forcible array.
3. The calling forth of a military force, the arming of the militia; esp. in Hist. phrase, Commission of Array.
1640–4. Charles I., Lett., in Rushw., Hist. Coll., III. (1692), I. 657. In ancient time the Militia of the Kingdom was ever disposed of by the Commissions of Array.
1647. May, Hist. Parl., II. vi. 115. The time of these contentions between the Ordinance of the Militia and Commission of Array.
1809. Tomlins, Law Dict., s.v. Militia, The form of the commission of array was settled in parliament anno 5 Hen. 4.
1844. Ld. Brougham, Brit. Const., xiii. (1862), 181. The public servants who had charge of the musters and arrays.
1875. Stubbs, Const. Hist., I. xiv. 135. Wales was to furnish infantry raised by the new plan of commissions of array.
4. concr. A host in array; a military force. Hist. The militia of a county or city.
1643. [Angier], Lanc. Vall. Achor, 15. The Array, with some three hundred armed men … possessed themselves of Blackburne.
1821. Scott, Kenilw., xv. Instructions to have a part of the array of the county ready.
1842. Macaulay, Horatius, i. And bade his messengers ride forth … To summon his array. Ibid. (1849), Hist. Eng., i. I. 150. The whole array of the city of London was under arms.
† 5. Order, orderly sequence. Obs. rare.
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 17. To the ende that I may proceed in some maner of array, I will first shewe, [etc.].
6. A series of things exhibited or displayed in line or order; an imposing series.
1814. Byron, Corsair, III. i. Their long array of sapphire and of gold.
1843. Prescott, Mexico, III. iii. (1864), 148. Displaying a formidable array of teeth.
1846. Grote, Greece, II. iv. (1883), II. 300. An array of powerful Doric cities.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., I. v. 47. On the right we have an array of cliffs.
1875. Bryce, Holy Rom. Emp., xvi. 285. A long array of Transalpine chivalry.
1883. J. Browning, in Knowledge, 24 Aug., 113/2. Something more than an array of figures.
7. Law. The order of impanelling a jury; the panel.
1579. Fulke, Heskins’s Parl., 389. The last couple … make vp a ful Iewrie … but we may lawfully chalenge the aray.
1628. Coke, On Litt., 156 a. The Jurors names are ranked in the pannel one vnder another, which order or ranking the Jurie is called the array.
1863. Cox, Inst. Eng. Govt., II. iii. 353. Challenge to the array is an exception to the whole panel, on account of partiality or some default in the … officer who arrayed the panel.
1865. Daily Tel., 2 Dec., 5/6. The officer to whom the array was entrusted being a Catholic.
II. Order of condition or state.
8. A condition of special preparation, or which has been attained by special preparation; the state of being specially fitted out, as for war, festivities, solemnities. Now only poet.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 110. Þe barons on gode aray, at London mad þei feste.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Clerkes T., 206. Al the paleys put was in array.
c. 1440. Morte Arth., 74. One ryalle araye he helde his rounde table.
1447. Bokenham, Lyvys of Seyntys, 34. The fyrst day of this solenne aray.
1484. Rich. III., in Ellis, Orig. Lett., Ser. II. 54, I. 106. To be redy in their moost defensible arraye.
1702. Pope, Jan. & May, 308. The pomp, the pageantry, the proud array.
1816. Scott, Old Mort., ii. To be partakers of the array and the sports which took place.
c. 1840. Alford, Poems. Stand up before your God In beautiful array.
b. In evil array: in a bad condition, badly.
c. 1400. Ywaine & Gaw., 2969. Thair clothes war reven on evil arai.
c. (Combining 6 and 8.)
1851. D. Mitchell, Fresh Glean., 60. Flowers and fruits in pretty array stretch down the French table-d’hôte.
1858. Longf., M. Standish, I. 8. Glittering weapons of warfare, Hanging in shining array along the walls of the chamber.
† 9. Arrangement, order, or position of matters; a plight, a case; a (pretty) state of affairs! Obs.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Wife’s T., 46. Thow stondest yet … in such array, That of thy lyf hastow no sewerté.
c. 1420. Pallad. on Husb., I. 320. But uppon clay If thou wilt bilde an other is the array.
1470–85. (ed. 1634) Malory, Arthur (1816), II. 399. ‘Aha! what array is this?’ said sir Launcelot.
a. 1529. Skelton, El. Rummyng, 163. Some have no mony—For theyr ale to pay; That is a shreud aray.
1568. Jacob & Esau, V. v. in Hazl., Dodsl., II. 252. Where are we now become? marry sir, here is array!
† 10. The work of special preparation. Obs.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., Coliphiz., 192. How myght that be trew? it toke more aray; The masons I knewe that hewed it, I say.
1660. Stanley, Hist. Philos. (1701), 99/2. The Phrygians is Euripides new Play. But Socrates gave it the best Array.
11. Outfit, attire, dress. Now only poet.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 3364. In better aray hir forto dyht.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Prol., 330. He rode but homely in a medlee cote … Of his array tell I no lenger tale.
c. 1410. Sir Cleges, 255. In pore clothyng was he tho, And in sympull araye.
a. 1450. Knt. de la Tour (1868), 29. Be not the furst to take new shappes and gises of array of women.
1451. Test. Ebor. (1855), II. 156. All my kerchieffs and array that longes to my hede.
1535. Coverdale, Rev. iii. 5. Clothed in whyte araye.
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shr., III. i. 325. We will haue rings, and things, and fine array.
1699. Dryden, Flower & Leaf, 35. Dressing, by the Moon, in loose Array.
1768. Beattie, Minstrel, I. iii. Though homely in array.
1810. Scott, Lady of L., II. xxxvi. Such array As best might suit the watery way.
b. fig. and transf.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 675. Wp goith the sone in to his fresh aray.
1591. Shaks., 1 Hen. VI., I. iii. 55. Thou Wolfe in Sheepes array! Ibid. (1592), Rom. & Jul., III. iii. 142. Happinesse Courts thee in her best array.
1877. Bryant, May Evening, xii. Earth renews Her beautiful array.
