item

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See also: ítem

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English item, from Latin item (“also; in the same manner”). The present English meaning derives from a usage in lists, where the first entry would begin in primis (“firstly”) or imprimis, and the other entries with item (“also, moreover”). Later, people less familiar with Latin, seeing such lists, took the word "item" as meaning "a member of a list".

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈaɪtəm/
    • (US) IPA(key): [ˈaɪ̯ɾəm], [ˈaɪ̯ɾm̩]
  • Audio (US)
    		(file)
  • Hyphenation: item

Noun[edit]

item (plural items)

  1. A distinct physical object.
    Tweezers are great for manipulating small items.
    • 2013 July 26, Nick Miroff, “Mexico gets a taste for eating insects   […] ”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 7, page 32:
      The San Juan market is Mexico City's most famous deli of exotic meats, where an adventurous shopper can hunt down hard-to-find critters  […] . But the priciest items in the market aren't the armadillo steaks or even the bluefin tuna.
  2. (by extension, video games) An object that can be picked up for later use.
  3. A line of text having a legal or other meaning; a separate particular in an account.
    the items in a bill
    In response to the first item, we deny all wrongdoing.
  4. (psychometrics) A question on a test, which may include its answers.
    The exam has 100 items, each of which includes a correct response and three distractors.
  5. A matter for discussion in an agenda.
    The first item for discussion is the budget for next year's picnic.
  6. (informal) Two people who are having a relationship with each other.
    Jack and Jill are an item.
  7. A short article in a newspaper.
    an item concerning the weather
  8. (obsolete) A hint; an innuendo.
    • 1655, Thomas Fuller, Church-History of Britain
      A secret item was given to some of the bishops […] to absent themselves.

Synonyms[edit]

  • (object): article, object, thing
  • (line of text having a legal or semantic meaning):
  • (matter for discussion): subject, topic
  • (two people who are having a relationship with each other): couple
  • (psychometrics): test/assessment question

Hyponyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

line of text having a particular meaning
short article

Verb[edit]

item (third-person singular simple present items, present participle iteming, simple past and past participle itemed)

  1. (transitive) To make a note of.

Related terms[edit]

Adverb[edit]

item (not comparable)

  1. likewise

Anagrams[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Latin.

Adverb[edit]

item

  1. same; in the same way

Further reading[edit]

Italian[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Latin item.

Adverb[edit]

item

  1. (law) in the same way.

Etymology 2[edit]

From English item, from Latin item.

Noun[edit]

item m (invariable)

  1. (computer science) A single programmed unit.
  2. (linguistics) An element of a grammatical or lexical set.

Latin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *éy and *só. Compare ita and itidem.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

item (not comparable)

  1. just like (in a comparison)
    • c. 200 BCE – 190 BCE, Plautus, Captivi 5.4:
      HĒGIŌ. Salvē, exoptāte gnāte mī. TYNDARUS. Hem, quid 'gnāte mī'?
      Attat, sciō quor tē patrem assimules esse et mē fīlium:
      quia mī item ut parentēs lūcis dās tuendī cōpiam.
      HEGIO. Hello, my wished-for son. TYNDARUS. Huh, what 'my son'?
      Alas, I know why you act as if you were a father and I your son:
      because you give me the means to see the light, just like parents do.
    • 106 BCE – 43 BCE, Cicero, Orator 60:
      Ita fit ut nōn item in ōrātiōne ut in versū numerus exstet, idque quod numerōsum in ōrātiōne dīcitur nōn semper numerō fīat, sed nōnnunquam aut concinnitāte aut cōnstructiōne verbōrum.
      So it turns out that there isn't a metre in prose just like in verse, and that which in oration is called 'metrical' is not always caused by metre, but also on occasion by the euphony and construction of the words.

Related terms[edit]

Latin correlatives (edit)
type interrogative indefinite (medial)
demonstrative		 proximal
demonstrative		 distal
demonstrative		 relative indefinite
relative		 identity other
basic quis, quī quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quisque, quisquam, aliquisquam, quispiam, ūllus is, iste, istic hic ille, illic quī quisquis, quīcumque ipse, īdem alter, alius
dual uter alteruter, uterque uter utercumque
number quot aliquot tot quot quotquot, quotcumque totidem
order quotus totus quotus quotuscumque
quantity quam aliquam tam quam †quamquam †tamen, †tandem
size quantus aliquantus tantus quantus quantuscumque tantusdem
quality quālis aliquālis tālis quālis quālis, quāliscumque
manner ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utique, quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō ita, sic, eō/istō modō hōc modō illō modō ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque item, itidem aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
method,
path
place 		quā aliquā, quāque eā, istāc hāc illāc quā quāquā, quācumque eādem aliā
place ubi alicubi, ubique, usquam, uspiam ibi, istic hīc illīc ubi ubiubi, ubicumque ibidem alibī, aliās
source unde alicunde inde, istinc hinc illinc unde undecumque indidem aliunde
destination quō, quōrsum aliquō, quōquam, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum eō, istūc, °istōrsum hūc, °hōrsum illūc, °illōrsum quō quōquō, quōcumque eōdem aliō, aliorsum
time quandō quondam, aliquandō, quandōque, umquam tum, tunc num, nunc ōlim cum, quandō cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque simul aliās
exact time quota hora ea/ista hora hac hora illa hora quota hora quotacumque hora eadem hora altera/alia hora
repetition quotiēns aliquotiēns totiēns quotiēns quotiēnscumque
multiplication quotuplex totuplex quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated
° Rare

References[edit]

Middle English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin item.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

item

  1. also, and this.

References[edit]

Noun[edit]

item

  1. the same; identical.

Descendants[edit]

  • English: item
  • Scots: eetem

References[edit]

Middle French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Latin.

Adverb[edit]

item

  1. same; in the same way

Old French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Latin.

Adverb[edit]

item

  1. same; in the same way

Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin item (“also; in the same manner”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

item m (plural itens)

  1. item
  2. A matter for discussion in an agenda or elsewhere.
    O primeiro item a considerar é o orçamento para o próximo piquenique.
    The first point to consider is the budget for the next picnic.
  3. A line of text with some meaning.
    Consideremos um item de cada vez.
    Let's look at one item at a time.
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