Like, say, books in a bookshelf. Example:
The books were [...] perfectly side by side.
If objects are orderly positioned vertically we say they are stacked. What's the word to use when they are positioned horizontally?
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1What's wrong with ordered?– Andrew Leach ♦Commented Oct 16, 2013 at 13:22
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1Placed, shelved, stood?– James WebsterCommented Oct 16, 2013 at 16:53
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9 Answers
Aligned
- 1 [with object] place or arrange (things) in a straight line:the desks are aligned in straight rows facing forwards
That emphasizes the order - not just the setting side-by-side, but the perfect placement.
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1I agree with this, but would point out that in the asker’s example phrase, “perfectly” sounds better before the verb: “The books were perfectly aligned side by side”. Commented Oct 16, 2013 at 13:34
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1Copied from comment below - The use of aligned does not imply a nearness for example "... as the planets aligned". The use of the word stacked indicates intimate contact. Aligned only fits one aspect of the situation. Commented Oct 16, 2013 at 14:45
I would say "arranged", I think it fits nicely in this context.
I think the word you may be looking for is line-up. It basically means to arrange something in a row (horizontally).
- a row or arrangement of people or things assembled for a particular purpose:
If it were books I might say 'tidily shelved'.
Apposed as opposed to ... well , opposed. However, it is pronounced the same as opposed. From the latin apponere to add.
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from OED "place (something) side by side with or close to something else.". While the use of apposed in the OP sentence would be redundant ("side by side" would be repeated), the use of aligned does not imply a nearness "as the planets aligned". The use of the word stacked indicates intimate contact. Commented Oct 16, 2013 at 14:43
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Well, yes, exactly. You can place things side by side without their being aligned. In any case, the OP is asking for "[...] side by side", so the proximity is already covered and it is the alignment that he's after.– terdonCommented Oct 16, 2013 at 15:20
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No, actually, there are two key components, proximity/adjacency and alignment/neatness. You DV'd me for suggesting only half the solution. Did you DV aligned for also only getting half the solution? I suspect there is another dynamic going on here, which frankly doesn't bother me. Commented Oct 16, 2013 at 15:56
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No no, I DV because you do not answer the question which was asking for a word that specifies things being placed in an orderly fashion. Apposite just implies closeness. If I am wrong (which I may well be) and the word also implies neatness, please add a definition supporting that and I will be more than happy to retract my DV.– terdonCommented Oct 16, 2013 at 16:11
Just want to point out that "verbs" are action words, so it's not a "verb" that you're looking for, it's an "adjective", which is a descriptor for an object/"noun".
Having said that, I concur with the answer being "aligned", or maybe "ordered".
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1The OP is looking for a verb. The words you suggest can be both verbs and adjectives: I aligned my books or I ordered my books alphabetically.– terdonCommented Oct 16, 2013 at 14:01
I see that an answer has been accepted already, but I have two suggestions.
Firstly, when you wish to write from the angle where the books were placed in their current positions by an external agent, use the appropriate form of the verb verb 'to lay' (present tense: 'lay'; past tense: 'laid'; past participle: 'laid'). 'Lay' is a transitive verb that means 'to put something down'. That typically connotes placing something in a horizontal position-I've never heard of something being 'laid' in a standing position, but I'd welcome correction if warranted.
The books *had been laid* perfectly side by side.
Secondly, the sentence may be written from the angle of the books themselves as the agents (in this case, of the act being in a horizontal position), use the appropriate form of the verb 'to lie' (present tense: 'lie'; past tense: 'lay'; past participle: 'lain'). 'Lie' means 'to rest or recline'. It is an intransitive verb, whose action is limited to the agent, so:
The books *lay* perfectly side by side.
The horizontal analog of stacking is packing. Stacking is a form of packing due to gravity.
If objects are orderly positioned vertically we say they are stacked.
This is not strictly true. Stacking can exhibit considerable disorder and instability.
But in any case, if the books are upright, with no space between them, they are packed: either because the shelf is stuffed full, or because book-end devices are used to compress them.
If the books are inserted to the same depth, so that their spines lie in the same plane, creating an orderly arrangement, then they are also aligned. Alignment does not refer to the packing, unless we make that clear: for instance that books are "aligned parallel", in which case we are stating the obvious, for how could packed books be otherwise.
If the books are thick, hard-cover books, standing upright with loose space between them, then the situation is simply that the books are standing upright. If they occupy parallel planes, or if they are inserted to the same depth (and especially if both situations are true), then we would say they are aligned: someone deliberately shifted and rotated the books so that they stand in those positions of alignment, or else the arrangement came to be by accident.
The word "aligned" is only properly used to remark on an arrangement where there exists a potential for misalignment. If there is no potential for misalignment, then although there is geometric alignment, the word is not really applicable.
For instance, it is possible to observe that the opposite walls of a rectangular room are aligned, because they might not be aligned if the construction of the room is not accurate. But we do not say that the paint is aligned to the wall. Of course, geometrically, there is alignment, but misalignment is inconceivable.
