align

Align is a verb with several related meanings centered on positioning things in relation to a line, a grid, or an agreement. The core sense is to bring elements into a straight line or into proper relative position, and by extension to bring them into accord or harmony with a standard, rule, or other element. The term derives from Old French aligner, from the notion of arranging along a line.

In typography and page layout, alignment refers to how text and objects line up with margins or guides, with common options such as left, right, center, and justify. In engineering and design, alignment describes the precise positioning of components along a common axis to ensure proper operation and fit. In computing, alignment has several specialized senses: memory alignment requires data addresses to be multiples of a defined boundary for performance or correctness; in user interfaces, elements can be aligned to a grid; and in source code, formatting can align tokens for readability.

As a broader concept, align is used to indicate agreement or allegiance, as in to align with a policy, a political group, or an organization. The related noun alignment denotes the state or result of such positioning, including social, political, technological, or spatial contexts. Examples include aligning text to the center; aligning a telescope with a star; or aligning a satellite dish to the correct azimuth and elevation. In practice, alignment practices are important across fields to ensure accuracy, efficiency, and safety.