the name of four towns mentioned in Scripture. (1.) A town on the north side of the river Arnon, the ruins of which were found by Burckhardt, under the name of Araayr. (2.) One of the towns built, or probably rebuilt, by the tribe of Gad. Its ruins are supposed to be those of Ayra, noticed by Burckhardt. This Ayra, about seven miles south-west from Szaït, is probably the same with the Array-el-Emir, visited by Legh, on his way from Heshbon to Szaït, and which in Berghaus's celebrated map of Palestine is placed nine English miles W.N.W. of Rabbah. (3.) A city in the tribe of Judah. (4.) A city in the south of Judah, to which David sent presents after recovering the spoil of Ziklag. Dr Robinson supposes that he found traces of this town in the valley of Ararah, about 20 geographical miles south by west from Hebron.

AROIDEÆ, a natural order of plants, the species of which are acid, and many of them very poisonous, as the genus Arum; but the poisonous principle is dissipated by heat. Some of the order give out much heat when flowering, and some at that time have an offensive smell.