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Span vs Array - What's the difference?

span | array |

As nouns the difference between span and array

is that span is the space from the thumb to the end of the little finger when extended; nine inches; eighth of a fathom while array is clothing and ornamentation.

As verbs the difference between span and array

is that span is to traverse the distance between while array is to clothe and ornament; to adorn or attire.

As an acronym SPAN

is suicide Prevention Advocacy Network.

span

English

Etymology 1

(etyl) spann

Noun

(en noun)
  • The space from the thumb to the end of the little finger when extended; nine inches; eighth of a fathom.
  • Hence, a small space or a brief portion of time.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Yet not to earth's contracted span / Thy goodness let me bound.
  • * Farquhar
    • Life's but a span ; I'll every inch enjoy.
  • * 2007 . Zerzan, John. Silence .
    • The unsilent present is a time of evaporating attention spans ,
  • The spread or extent of an arch or between its abutments, or of a beam, girder, truss, roof, bridge, or the like, between supports.
  • The length of a cable, wire, rope, chain between two consecutive supports.
  • (nautical) A rope having its ends made fast so that a purchase can be hooked to the bight; also, a rope made fast in the center so that both ends can be used.
  • (obsolete) A pair of horses or other animals driven together; usually, such a pair of horses when similar in color, form, and action.
  • (mathematics) the space of all linear combinations of something
    • Related terms
    * attention span * memory span

    Etymology 2

    Old English spannan

    Verb

    (spann)
  • To traverse the distance between.
    • The suspension bridge spanned the canyon as tenuously as one could imagine.
  • To cover or extend over an area or time period.
    • The parking lot spans three acres.
    The novel spans three centuries.
    World record! 5 GHz WiFi connection spans 189 miles. [http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/27/world-record-5ghz-wifi-connection-spans-189-miles/]
  • * Prescott
    • The rivers were spanned by arches of solid masonry.
  • To measure by the span of the hand with the fingers extended, or with the fingers encompassing the object.
    • to span''' a space or distance; to '''span a cylinder
  • * Bible, Isa. xiviii. 13
    • My right hand hath spanned the heavens.
  • (mathematics) to generate an entire space by means of linear combinations
  • (intransitive, US, dated) To be matched, as horses.
  • To fetter, as a horse; to hobble.

    • Etymology 3

    Verb

    (head)
  • (archaic, nonstandard) (spin)
  • *
  • * '>citation
  • *:a giant pick-up truck span out of control during a stunt show in a Dutch town, killing three people

    • Anagrams

    * English irregular simple past forms ----

    array

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Clothing and ornamentation.
    • (Dryden)
  • A collection laid out to be viewed in full.
  • An orderly series, arrangement or sequence.
  • * Prescott
    • a gallant array of nobles and cavaliers
  • Order; a regular and imposing arrangement; disposition in regular lines; hence, order of battle.
    • drawn up in battle array
  • * Gibbon
    • wedged together in the closest array
  • A large collection.
  • * Byron
    • their long array of sapphire and of gold
    We offer a dazzling array of choices.
  • * {{quote-news, year=2011
    • , date=October 23 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Man Utd 1 - 6 Man City , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=Mario Balotelli, in the headlines for accidentally setting his house ablaze with fireworks, put City on their way with goals either side of the interval as United struggled to contain the array of attacking talent in front of them.}}
  • (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.
  • (legal) 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.
  • (military) A militia.

    • Usage notes

    * (any of various data structures) The exact usage of the term , 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".

    Derived terms

    * * * * *

    Antonyms

    * (orderly series) disarray

    See also

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

    Verb

  • To clothe and ornament; to adorn or attire
    • He was arrayed in his finest robes and jewels.
  • To lay out in an orderly arrangement; to deploy or marshal
  • (legal) To set in order, as a jury, for the trial of a cause; that is, to call them one at a time.
    • (Blackstone)