Etymologically
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arrangement

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 11:55. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /əˈɹeɪnd͡ʒmənt/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French arrangement, from arengement, from arengier (“to arrange”) (see arrange),[2][3] or formed in English from arrange and -ment.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The action of putting in order: 1690 in MWU, the late 17th century in SOED, 1727–51 in the OED and 1740 in Etymonline.[3][4][5][2]

Semantic evolution

An orderly disposition is from before 1743, and the style in which things are arranged from 1785–91.[5] A structure or combination of things arranged in a particular way, such as flowers, is from 1800.[2][5] Preparations for a purpose, to make arrangements, are from 1786.[5] In music, the adaptation of a piece for voices or instruments it was not written for is from 1813 in Etymonline, 1849 in the OED.[2][5] A settlement or agreement between parties is from 1855,[2][5] and an affair of gallantry, a euphemism, from 1751.[5]

Timeline

  • 1690 – the action of arranging.[3]
  • 1751 – a love affair (euphemism).[5]
  • 1786 – preparations.[5]
  • 1800 – a thing arranged.[2][5]
  • 1813 – a musical arrangement.[2]
  • 1855 – a settlement.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The act of arranging, or the way in which things are arranged.
  2. A group of things arranged attractively: a flower arrangement.
  3. arrangements: plans or preparations for an event.
  4. An agreement or understanding between parties.
  5. (music) An adaptation of a piece for other voices or instruments.

Word family

  • rearrangement

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press