item

Etymology

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”), and the other entries with item (“also, moreover”). Subsequently, such individual entries were referred to as “items”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaɪtəm/
  • (US) IPA^(key): [ˈaɪ̯ɾəm], [ˈaɪ̯ɾm̩]

    • Audio (US)

      (file)

Noun

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.

   • 2010, Justin Bieber featuring Ludacris, Baby

     Are we an item? Girl, quit playin' / "We're just friends," what are you sayin'?

7. A short article in a newspaper.

   an item concerning the weather

8. (obsolete) A hint; an innuendo.
   • Thomas Fuller (1606-1661)

     A secret item was given to some of the bishops […] to absent themselves.

Anagrams

• emit, mite, time

Etymology

Latin.

Adverb

item

1. same; in the same way

Further reading

• “item” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Etymology 1

From Latin item.

Etymology 2

From English item, from Latin item.

Noun

item m (invariable)

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

Etymology

Possibly derived from Proto-Indo-European *éy and *só. Confer with ita.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈi.tem/, [ˈɪ.tẽ]

Adverb

item (not comparable)

1. likewise, also

References

• item in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• item in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• item in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

Etymology

From Latin item.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈiːtɛm/

Adverb

item

1. also, and this.

Noun

item

1. the same; identical.

Etymology

Latin.

Adverb

item

1. same; in the same way

Etymology

Latin.

Adverb

item

1. same; in the same way

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈi.tɛm/, /ˈi.tɐ̃j̃/
• Hyphenation: i‧tem

Noun

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.