Forms: 3–7 aray(e, 4–6 araie, (5 araȝe-n, arey), 5–7 arraie, arraye, 6– array. [a. AF. araye-r, araie-r, = OF. areyer, -eier, early OF. areer (1st pers. sing. arei), later a(r)royer, cogn. w. Sp. arrear, Pg. arreiar, Pr. aredar, It. and early Rom. arrēdāre, f. a, ad to + *rēdo (OF. rei, rai, roi), ‘preparation, order,’ ad. LG. rêde (OFris. rêde, rêd, OE. rǽde, ʓerǽde), Goth. garaid-s, ready, prepared; cf. garaidjan to make ready, garaideins preparation, order. Arrēdāre, areer, was thus ‘to make ready, put into order.’]
I. Of order of position.
1. To set or place in order of readiness, to marshall. esp. To draw up prepared for battle, and in obs. phr. To array a battle. a. lit. To raise in arms. See ARRAY sb. 3.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., B. 1442. Þe iueles out of Ierusalem … Bi þe syde of þe sale were semely arayed.
c. 1350. Will. Palerne, 3560. To þe feld he went … his batailes to araie.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, III. 233. Hannyball his mekill mycht Aganys thaim arayit was.
1382. Wyclif, Isa. liv. 11. I shal araie bi order thi stones.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, XV. 6105. The secund batell … þe soueran araiet.
1576. Lambarde, Peramb. Kent (1826), 245. This place is of it selfe very fit … to array an host of men upon.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xviii. IV. 226. A force of thirteen thousand fighting men were arrayed in Hyde Park.
1879. O’Flanaghan, Munst. Circ., 197. They could persecute any rebel with fire and sword; and for this purpose might array any of the queen’s loyal subjects.
b. fig. esp. in phr. To array against.
1823. Byron, Island, III. x. All round them seem’d array’d Against them.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., II. 375. On the other side were arrayed almost all the eminent forensic talents of the age.
1857. Buckle, Civiliz., vii. 341. To induce nearly the whole of the clergy to array themselves against Science.
1871. Farrar, Witn. Hist., ii. 56. These doubts will be arrayed before their minds.
2. Law. To array a panel, a jury. Cf. ARRAY sb. 7.
1591. Lambarde, Archeion (1635), 207. Arraying of Pannels.
1641. Termes de la Ley, 26. Aray is the taking or ordering of a Jury … from whence cometh the Verbe to array a pannell.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., III. xxiii. 359. If he [the sheriff] arrays the panel … under the direction of either party, this is good cause of challenge to the array.
1863. [see ARRAY sb. 7].
II. Of order of condition.
† 3. To order, arrange, put or keep in order. Obs.
c. 1440. Morte Arth., 509. He askes hyme … How he arayes þe rewme and rewlys þe pople.
III. Of orderly equipment, dress.
† 4. To put in order for a purpose; to make (a thing) ready, prepare. Obs.
c. 1325. E. E. Allit. P., A. 718. To suche is heuen-ryche arayed.
1382. Wyclif, Isa. lviii. 5. Sac and asken to araȝen [1388 make redi] Ibid. (1388), Acts xxiii. 30. The Aspies that thei arayden [1382 maden redy] for hym.
1393. Gower, Conf., II. 254. The bathes weren than araied.
1483. Caxton, Gold. Leg., 26/2. Thou arayest us lord to the, and thou arayest the to us. Ibid. (1485), Chas. Gt., 209. Amende and araye theyr harnoys.
† b. refl. To prepare oneself, make ready. Obs.
c. 1320. R. Brunne, Medit., 990. And arayde hem faste þen for to gone.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 11. Resoun gan arrayen hym alle þe reume to preche.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., II. x. (1495), 38. We sholde … araye vs to receyue thynges that euerlastyth.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., 322. The stiward perceivid þe Emperour in chambir, and araiyng him to bed.
† c. intr. To make preparations. Obs. rare.
1387. Trevisa, Higden, Rolls Ser. IV. 281. While Herode arayeþ for þe children deeþ … [de nece puerorum disponeret].
† 5. To make ready (food). a. To prepare, ‘dress.’ b. To serve up in proper fashion. Obs.
1366. Maundev., xix. 214. Arraye for me, to morwe, a gode Dyner.
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 23. The coke, which shal his mete array.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., 149. The Coke, whan he had araied the hert.
1508–13. W. de Worde, Bk. Keruynge, in Babees Bk., 277. Yf the capons be soden, araye hym in the maner aforesayd.
† 6. To fit (any one) out with needful preparations, to equip with (a force, etc.). Obs.
1393. Gower, Conf., III. 288. He was with worthy compaignie Arraied.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, IV. 1143. He will aray hym full rad with a route noble.
† 7. To furnish (a house, etc.). Obs.
1366. Maundev., v. 48. The prestes arrayen her Awtere honestly.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Frankl. T., 459. So wel arrayed hous as ther was oon.
1387. Trevisa, Higden, Rolls Ser. I. 217. The Capitol was arrayed with hiȝe walles i-heled with glas and with gold.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, III. 750. An Inner chamber, Þat was rially arayed with a riche bede.
c. 1450. Lonelich, Grail, xx. 68. A large hostel for twenty men … he gan areyen.
8. To furnish the person with raiment (= arrayment), to attire, dress; now, to dress up with display. a. trans.
1297. R. Glouc., 36. Tho kyng Leir arayed was.
c. 1340. Hampole, Prose Tr., 27. To wirchipe his heuede and his face, and aray it faire and curyusly.
c. 1450. Merlin, xiv. 225. The kynge made his doughter to aray hem in riche robes.
1523. Fitzherb., Husb., 49. Take vp thy chyldren and aray them.
1535. Coverdale, Isa. xxii. 21. Araye him with thy cote, and gyrde him with thy gyrdle.
1611. Bible, Gen. xli. 42. Pharaoh … arayed him in vestures of fine linnen.
1755. Young, Centaur, i. Wks. 1757, IV. 110. As the Jews arrayed our blessed Lord in a purple robe, to mock him.
b. refl. To dress; now, to dress oneself up.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 3365. Scho hir arayed in better wede.
c. 1475[?]. Squyr Lowe Degre, 305. There he araied him in scarlet reed.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., III. ii. 26. I drinke, I eate, array my selfe, and liue.
1802. Mar. Edgeworth, Moral T., I. x. 80. A plaid, in which Miss McEvoy had arrayed herself.
c. intr. (= refl.).
1718. Pope, Iliad, III. 409. The beauteous warrior now arrays for fight, In gilded arms.
d. To put on (dress, armor, etc.).
1611. Cotgr., s.v. Sot, The robes that women doe array, their priuate fooleries bewray.
1809. Campbell, Gert. Wyom., III. xx. As he the sword and plume in haste array’d.
9. transf. and fig. a. To ‘clothe,’ ‘attire.’
1388. Wyclif, 1 Tim. ii. 9. Wymmen … with schamefastnesse & sobrenesse araiynge hem silf.
1477. Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 68. Arraye you withe iustice.
1786. W. Gilpin, Tour Lakes. A mountain … arraying itself in the majesty of darkness.
1846. Keble, Lyra Innoc. (1873), 154. In fear and love thy heart array.
b. To adorn, deck, set off.
1652. Benlowes, Theoph., XII. lvii. Pearld dew arraies As yet the virgin-meads.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Eclog., v. 91. The Purple Spring Arrays the various Ground.
1823. Byron, Island, IV. vii. She … thus array’d the grot with torchlight.
† 10. ironically, a. To ‘dress,’ giving a dressing to, drub, thrash; discomfit, rout. Cf. DERAY. Obs.
c. 1380. Sir Ferumb., 417. A man heȝ of mod; Sarasynȝ to yule [= ill] arraye.
c. 1400. Beryn, 603. We wolde aray hym so That he [ne] shuld have legge ne foot, to-morow on to go.
1481. Reynard (1844), 85. I am so sore arayed, and sore hurte.
c. 1530. Ld. Berners, Arth. Lyt. Bryt. (1814), 131. A! syr … thus hath arayed me two armed knightes.
† b. To put into a (sore) plight, trouble, afflict.
a. 1500. Lancelot, 3270. Remembir the, how yhow haith ben araid … With love.
1509. Hawes, Past. Pleas., xviii. xxxix. Hath love suche myght for to aray you so In so short a space?
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par., Luke xiii. 11. Araied with a disease both incurable and peiteous to see.
a. 1600. Passion of Cryste, 419, in Hazl., E. P. P., III. 17. Vyce … Whiche hathe hym so Encombered and arayed.
† c. To disfigure, dirty, befoul, defile. Obs.
1530. Palsgr., 435/2. I araye or fyle with myer. Jemboue. Ibid., 436/1. You have arrayed your gowne agaynst the wall.
1530. Calisto & Melib., in Hazl., Dodsl., I. 78. Indeed age hath arrayed thee! That thou art she, now can scant be espied.
1575. Gamm. Gurton’s Needle, I. ii. See, so cham arrayed with dabbling in the dirt.
