different between array vs chain

English

Etymology

From Middle English arrayen, from Anglo-Norman arraier (compare Old French arraier, areer (“to put in order”)), from Medieval Latin arr?d? (“to put in order, arrange, array”), from *r?dum (“preparation, order”), from Frankish *reida (“preparation, order”) or Gothic ???????????????????????????? (garaiþs, “ready, prepared”), from Proto-Germanic *raidaz, *raidiz (“ready”). Doublet of ready.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???e?/
• (US) IPA^(key): /???e?/, /?æ.????/ (UK)
• Rhymes: -e?

Noun

array (countable and uncountable, plural arrays)

1. Clothing and ornamentation.
2. A collection laid out to be viewed in full.
3. An orderly series, arrangement or sequence.
   • 1856-1858, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip II

     But the chivalry of France was represented by as gallant an array of nobles and cavaliers as ever fought under the banner of the lilies

4. Order; a regular and imposing arrangement; disposition in regular lines; hence, order of battle.

   drawn up in battle array

   • wedged together in the closest array

5. A large collection.
   • 1814, Lord Byron, The Corsair

     their long array of sapphire and of gold

   We offer a dazzling array of choices.
6. (mathematics) Common name for matrix.
7. (programming) Any of various data structures designed to hold multiple elements of the same type; especially, a data structure that holds these elements in adjacent memory locations so that they may be retrieved using numeric indices.
8. (law) A ranking or setting forth in order, by the proper officer, of a jury as impanelled in a cause; the panel itself; or the whole body of jurors summoned to attend the court.
9. (military) A militia.
10. A group of hedgehogs.
11. A microarray.

Usage notes

• (any of various data structures): The exact usage of the term array, and of related terms, generally depends on the programming language. For example, many languages distinguish a fairly low-level "array" construct from a higher-level "list" or "vector" construct. Some languages distinguish between an "array" and a variety of "associative array"; others have only the latter concept, calling it an "array".

Antonyms

• (orderly series): disarray

Hyponyms

Related terms

Translations

References

See also

• (any of various data structures): ones-based indexing, zero-based indexing

Verb

array (third-person singular simple present arrays, present participle arraying, simple past and past participle arrayed)

1. To clothe and ornament; to adorn or attire.
2. To lay out in an orderly arrangement; to deploy or marshal.
3. (law) To set in order, as a jury, for the trial of a cause; that is, to call them one at a time.

Synonyms

• (to clothe and ornament): don, dress, put on; see also Thesaurus:clothe or Thesaurus:decorate

Translations

Portuguese

Etymology

From English array.

Noun

array m (plural arrays)

1. (programming) array (any of various data structures)

   Synonym: vetor

English

Etymology

From Middle English cheyne, chaine, from Old French chaine, chaene (“chain”), from Latin cat?na (“chain”), from Proto-Indo-European *kat- (“to braid, twist; hut, shed”). Doublet of catena.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t??e?n/
• Rhymes: -e?n

Noun

chain (plural chains)

1. A series of interconnected rings or links usually made of metal.

2. A series of interconnected things.

3. A series of stores or businesses with the same brand name.

4. (chemistry) A number of atoms in a series, which combine to form a molecule.

5. (surveying) A series of interconnected links of known length, used as a measuring device.
6. (surveying) A long measuring tape.
7. A unit of length equal to 22 yards. The length of a Gunter's surveying chain. The length of a cricket pitch. Equal to 20.12 metres, 4 rods, or 100 links.
   • 1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, New York: D. Appleton-Century, 1943, Chapter X, p. 177, [1]

     "But it's too far—must be a quarter of a mile—and I've a portmanteau to carry." […]

     "Garn!" shouted the guard. "Taint ten chain. […] "

8. (mathematics, set theory, order theory) A totally ordered set, especially a totally ordered subset of a poset.
   • 2003, Jeremy P. Spinrad, Efficient Graph Representations, American Mathematical Society, page 108,

     We first find an approximation of the chain partition, i.e. a small but not minimum size set of chains which cover all elements of the poset.

9. (Britain) A sequence of linked house purchases, each of which is dependent on the preceding and succeeding purchase (said to be "broken" if a buyer or seller pulls out).
10. That which confines, fetters, or secures; a bond.
11. (nautical, in the plural) Iron links bolted to the side of a vessel to bold the dead-eyes connected with the shrouds; also, the channels.
12. (weaving) The warp threads of a web.

    (Can we find and add a quotation of Knight to this entry?)

Synonyms

• (series of interconnected rings or links): rackle
• (series of interconnected things): See also Thesaurus:sequence

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

chain (third-person singular simple present chains, present participle chaining, simple past and past participle chained)

1. (transitive) To fasten something with a chain.

2. (figuratively) To connect as if with a chain, due to dependence, addiction, or other feelings}}

3. (intransitive) To link multiple items together.
4. (transitive) To secure someone with fetters.
5. (transitive) To obstruct the mouth of a river etc with a chain.
6. (figuratively) To obligate.
7. (computing) To relate data items with a chain of pointers.
8. (computing) To be chained to another data item.
9. (transitive) To measure a distance using a 66-foot long chain, as in land surveying.
10. (transitive, computing, rare, associated with Acorn Computers) To load and automatically run (a program).
    • 1996, "Mr D Walsh", Running two programs from a batch file (on newsgroup comp.sys.acorn.misc)

      How do you get one program to chain another? I want to run DrawWorks2 then !Draw but as soon as you run Drawworks2 it finishes the batch file and doesn't go on to the next instruction! Is there a way without loading one of these automatic loaders?

    • 1998, "Juan Flynn", BBC software transmitted on TV - how to load? (on newsgroup comp.sys.acorn.misc)

      You can do LOAD "" or CHAIN "" to load or chain the next program if I remember correctly (it's been a loooong time since I've used a tape on an Acorn!)

    • 2006, "Richard Porter", SpamStamp double headers (on newsgroup comp.sys.acorn.apps)

      Recent versions of AntiSpam no longer use the Config file but have a Settings file instead, so when I updated the Config file to chain SpamStamp it had no effect as it was a redundant file.

Derived terms

• unchain
• chain up

Translations

References

• chain in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• chain in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• OED 2nd edition 1989

Further reading

• chain on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Anagrams

• Anich, Chian, China, china

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ai?n/

Adjective

chain

1. Aspirate mutation of cain.

Mutation