1. [n]  an arrangement of aerials spaced to give desired directional characteristics
2. [n]  especially fine or decorative clothing
3. [n]  an impressive display; "it was a bewildering array of books"; "his tools were in an orderly array on the basement wall"
4. [n]  an orderly arrangement; "an array of troops in battle order"
5. [v]  align oneself with a group or a way of thinking
6. [v]  lay out in a line

1. \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.
   

2. \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.
   

1. A collection of identically typed data items distinguished by their indices (or "subscripts"). The number of dimensions an array can have depends on the language but is usually unlimited.

An array is a kind of aggregate data type. A single ordinary variable (a "scalar") could be considered as a zero-dimensional array. A one-dimensional array is also known as a "vector".

A reference to an array element is written something like A[i,j,k] where A is the array name and i, j and k are the indices. The C language is peculiar in that each index is written in separate brackets, e.g. A[i][j][k]. This expresses the fact that, in C, an N-dimensional array is actually a vector, each of whose elements is an N-1 dimensional array.

Elements of an array are usually stored contiguously. Languages differ as to whether the leftmost or rightmost index varies most rapidly, i.e. whether each row is stored contiguously or each column (for a 2D array).

Arrays are appropriate for storing data which must be accessed in an unpredictable order, in contrast to lists which are best when accessed sequentially.

See also associative array.

2. A processor array, not to be confused with an array processor.