Aligned

How to spell aligned

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce aligned

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does aligned mean?

1. adjectivePlaced in a straight line, or brought into agreement or correct relative position.

Aligned in a sentence

• The wheels were perfectly aligned after the garage finished the service.

• Our two departments are now fully aligned on the project deadlines.

Where does aligned come from?

Language of origin: French

This word traces back to the French verb aligner, which meant 'to put into a line' and was formed from the phrase a ligne, literally 'to a line'. The ligne element descends from the Latin linea, meaning a linen thread or a line drawn taut, the same root that gives us 'line' and 'linen'. English adopted the verb 'align' in the seventeenth century, originally describing soldiers or objects placed neatly in a straight row. Over time the figurative sense grew, so that ideas, interests, and organisations could be 'aligned' when they agree or point the same way. The single 'l' is the spelling trap here: because the word sounds like it might double, writers sometimes slip, but it keeps just one 'l' inherited straight from the French ligne.

How the word is built

• a- (to, toward)
• lign (from Latin linea: line)
• -ed (past participle/adjective suffix)