Array, n.
Etymology: [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. reithi 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.
1 more senses
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.
1 other Webster entry under this spelling
Array, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Arrayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Arraying.]
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.
Shades of meaning
The phrase battle array or array of battle is archaic and poetic; we now say in line or order of battle. The parade is for exhibition and oversight, and partial rehearsal of military manual and maneuvers. Array refers to a continuous arrangement of men, so that all may be seen or reviewed at once. This is practically impossible with the vast armies of our day. We say rather the disposition of troops, which expresses their location so as to sustain and support, though unable to see or readily communicate with each other. Compare dress.