Literary notes about align (AI summary)
The term "align" appears in literature to denote both precise, technical positioning and metaphorical adjustment of ideas or groups. In technical contexts, it often refers to the careful arrangement of data—such as adding zeros around decimals to ensure numerical columns line up properly [1][2][3][4][5]—or the adjustment of mechanical sights and instruments to achieve accuracy [6][7][8][9]. In more figurative passages, the word is employed to indicate the process of harmonizing oneself with a broader force or group, whether that means soldiers lining up on a battlefield [10][11][12] or individuals striving to match their beliefs with those of a larger community [13][14][15][16]. This dual usage underscores the word's flexibility, bridging the literal act of positioning with the figurative idea of unification and cohesion.
- TN: zeros added around decimal to align data .80–.95 2.50–2.70 1.55–1.65 11 Hab.
— from A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 3 of 3 by Robert Ridgway - TN: zeros added around decimal to align data 2.12–0.00 TN: zeros added around decimal to align data 1.90–0.00
— from A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 3 of 3 by Robert Ridgway - Leading and trailing zeros were added to align numbers in columns.
— from The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, Vol. XLIXApril-October 1850 by Various - TN: zeros added around decimal to align data 117 ♀ 6.80–8.40 4.90–5.80 .55–.55 1.40–1.45 .90–1.00 95 /specimens
— from A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 3 of 3 by Robert Ridgway - 3.00–3.15 1.85–0.00 TN: zeros added around decimal to align data 2 /specimens Astur atricapillus.
— from A History of North American Birds; Land Birds; Vol. 3 of 3 by Robert Ridgway - The sights are to enable him to align the barrel of his pistol accurately.
— from The Modern Pistol and How to Shoot It by Walter Winans - The stationary or left-hand knife should be so adjusted as to align exactly with the inner side of the mold.
— from A Book of Exposition by Homer Heath Nugent - Crude steel rods welded to the bumper and dashboard helped the driver align the vehicle with aiming stakes.
— from Closing In: Marines in the Seizure of Iwo Jima by Joseph H. Alexander - (b) To show how to align the sights properly on the bull's-eye.
— from The Plattsburg Manual: A Handbook for Military Training by E. B. (Enoch Barton) Garey - A halt of very brief space to align and close up ranks, and they were ordered forward to the attack.
— from Shoulder-Straps: A Novel of New York and the Army, 1862 by Henry Morford - The troopers, if not already aligned, align themselves without command on the guide as they halt (par. 364).
— from Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army of the United States 1917. To be also used by Engineer Companies (Mounted) for Cavalry Instruction and Training by United States. War Department - The other troopers are then required to move up one at a time and align themselves, with the correct interval, on the line thus established.
— from Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army of the United States 1917. To be also used by Engineer Companies (Mounted) for Cavalry Instruction and Training by United States. War Department - Tuvalu there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings
— from The 2004 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency - As a beast, the forces of life aligned him with them; as a man, he has not yet wholly learned to align himself with the forces.
— from Sister Carrie: A Novel by Theodore Dreiser - We must align ourselves with the suffering masses of people across the sea, and help them to rid themselves of the iron-shod heel of one-man power.
— from The Liberty Girl by Rena I. Halsey - If he seeks to align himself with the future, he must assume a condition of some sort for a world fifty years beyond his own.
— from The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams
