item

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See also: ítem and Item

English

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”) or imprimis, and the other entries with item (“also, moreover”). Later, the members of lists were referred to as "items".

Pronunciation

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.
    • 2001, David L. Lieber and Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 1143:
      Beyond being mere items of a legal code, they [the mitzvot] are the very basis of the relationship that God and the people Israel have established.
  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 romantic or sexual relationship with each other.
    Jack and Jill are an item.
  8. A short article in a newspaper.
    an item concerning the weather
  9. (obsolete) A hint; an innuendo.
    • 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; , London: Iohn Williams , →OCLC:
      A secret item was given to some of the bishops […] to absent themselves.
  10. (India) Short for item girl.
    • 2017, Nandita Chaudhary, Pernille Hviid, Giuseppina Marsico, Resistance in Everyday Life: Constructing Cultural Experiences, page 246:
      In this chapter, we will attempt to trace the course of initiation into the classical arts, from the self-taught gyrations of Bollywood items to the serious rigours of a classical Indian dance form.

Synonyms

  • (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

Derived terms

Translations

line of text having a particular meaning
short article

Verb

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

Adverb

item (not comparable)

  1. likewise

Anagrams

Czech

Pronunciation

Adverb

item

  1. (archaic) as well
    Synonyms: také, rovněž, dále, kromě toho
    Jedná se o zdravý všelék proti bolestem a item proti závrati. ― It's a healthy universal cure for pain and also for vertigo.

Further reading

  • item in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
  • item in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin item.

Pronunciation

Adverb

item

  1. same; in the same way

Further reading

Italian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈi.tem/
  • Rhymes: -item
  • Hyphenation: ì‧tem

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Latin item. Doublet of item.

Adverb

item

  1. (law) in the same way

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English item, from Latin item. Doublet of item.

Noun

item m (invariable)

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

Anagrams

Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

Adverb

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.
    • 46 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.
  2. likewise, also, further

Descendants

  • → French: item
  • → Middle English: item

See also

Latin correlatives (edit)
type demonstrative anaphoric identity interrogative/
relative		 indefinite negative other
proximal medial distal relative indefinite universal free choice negative polarity
basic hic iste, istic ille, illic is ipse, īdem quis/quī quisquis, quīcumque quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quispiam quisque quīvis, quīlibet quisquam, ūllus, °aliquisquam nēmō, nihil, nūllus alius
dual uter utercumque alteruter uterque utervīs, uterlibet neuter alter
place hīc istīc illīc ibī̆ ibī̆dem ubī̆ ubiubi, ubī̆cumque alicubī, uspiam ubīque ubivīs, ubilibet usquam nusquam, nūllibī alibī, aliās
source hinc istinc illinc inde indidem unde undecumque, undeunde alicunde undique °undelibet aliunde
destination hūc, °hōrsum istūc, °istōrsum illūc, °illōrsum eō eōdem quō, quōrsum quōquō, quōcumque aliquō, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum quōvīs, quōlibet quōquam nusquam, nūllōrsum aliō, aliōrsum
method,
means,
path,
place 		hāc istāc illāc eā eādem quā quāquā, quācumque aliquā quāque quāvīs, quālibet nēquāquam, haudquāquam aliā
manner hōc modō istō modō illō modō ita, sīc,
eō modō		 item, itidem ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō utique quōmodolibet ūllō modō nūllō modō aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
time num, nunc ōlim tum, tunc simul quandō, ‡cum cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque quondam, aliquandō quandōque quandōlibet umquam numquam aliās
quantity tam †tamen, †tandem quam †quamquam aliquam quamvīs, quamlibet
size tantus tantusdem quantus quantuscumque aliquantus quantusvīs, quantuslibet
quality tālis quālis quālis, quāliscumque aliquālis quālislibet
number tot totidem quot quotquot, quotcumque aliquot quotlibet
order totus quotus quotuscumque aliquotus quotuslibet
repetition totiēns quotiēns quotiēnscumque aliquotiēns quotiēnslibet
multiplication totuplex quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated
° Rare
‡only used as a conjunction, not as an interrogative

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 with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
  • item in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Middle English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin item.

Pronunciation

Adverb

item

  1. also, and this

Further reading

Noun

item

  1. the same; identical.

Descendants

Further reading

Middle French

Etymology

Latin.

Adverb

item

  1. same; in the same way

Old French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin item.

Adverb

item

  1. same; in the same way

Descendants

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin item (“also; in the same manner”).

Pronunciation

  • 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.

Romanian

Etymology

Anglicism (English item).

Noun

item m (plural itemi)

  1. item

Declension

Declension of item
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) item itemul (niște) itemi itemii
genitive/dative (unui) item itemului (unor) itemi itemilor
vocative itemule itemilor

Swedish

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin item (“just like”), attested since 1628.

Adverb

item

  1. (obsolete) also, as well
    Synonyms: likaså, jämväl, vidare
    • 1847 July 24, Sophie von Knorring, Bref till hemmet‎:
      Jag blef helt ond och ändå mera E., som är en förklarad hundvän, item hund-advokat, som du väl mins.
      I became wholly mad, and even more E., who are a declared dog friend, as well as dog advocate, as you might well remember.

See also

Noun

item c

  1. an item on a list or agenda; a number; an item in bookkeeping
    Synonym: post
  2. (obsolete) additional circumstance, additional item of concern
    • 1864, Johan Magnus Rosén, Hvad man minst väntar‎:
      Olsson profvade; men det var ingen, som passade rigtigt. — Så är det väl bäst du beställer en och låter ta mått, — sade Berg och tilläde, vände sig till hattmakarn: — Men det är ett lite item här, farbror! Det är fråga om kredit; [...]
      Olsson tried, but there were none, which fit really. — So it is best you order and let measures be taken, — said Berg and added, turned to the hat maker: — But there is an small additional matter of concern here, sir! It is a question about credit;

References

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia