Ar*ray" (#), n. [OE. arai, arrai, OF. arrai, arrei, arroi, order, arrangement, dress, F. arroi; a (L. ad) + OF. rai, rei, roi, order, arrangement, fr. G. or Scand.; cf. Goth. raidjan, garaidjan, to arrange, MHG. gereiten, Icel. rei[eth]i rigging, harness; akin to E. ready. Cf. Ready, Greith, Curry.]
1.
Order; a regular and imposing arrangement; disposition in regular lines; hence, order of battle; as, drawn up in battle array.
Wedged together in the closest array.
Gibbon.
2.
The whole body of persons thus placed in order; an orderly collection; hence, a body of soldiers.
A gallant array of nobles and cavaliers.
Prescott.
3.
An imposing series of things.
Their long array of sapphire and of gold.
Byron.
4.
Dress; garments disposed in order upon the person; rich or beautiful apparel.
Dryden.
5. Law (a)
A ranking or setting forth in order, by the proper officer, of a jury as impaneled in a cause.
(b)
The panel itself.
(c)
The whole body of jurors summoned to attend the court.
To challenge the array Law, to except to the whole panel. Cowell. Tomlins. Blount. -- Commission of array Eng. Hist., a commission given by the prince to officers in every county, to muster and array the inhabitants, or see them in a condition for war. Blackstone.
© Webster 1913.
Ar*ray", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Arrayed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Arraying.] [OE. araien, arraien, fr. OE. arraier, arreier, arreer, arroier, fr. arrai. See Array, n.]
1.
To place or dispose in order, as troops for battle; to marshal.
By torch and trumpet fast arrayed,
Each horseman drew his battle blade.
Campbell.
These doubts will be arrayed before their minds.
Farrar.
2.
To deck or dress; to adorn with dress; to cloth to envelop; -- applied esp. to dress of a splendid kind.
Pharaoh . . . arrayed him in vestures of fine linen.
Gen. xli..
In gelid caves with horrid gloom arrayed.
Trumbull.
3. Law
To set in order, as a jury, for the trial of a cause; that is, to call them man by man.
Blackstone.
To array a panel, to set forth in order the men that are impaneled.
Cowell. Tomlins.
Syn. -- To draw up; arrange; dispose; set in order.
© Webster 1913.