Adjacent Words

Article definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

'ARTICLE, n. [L. articulus, a joint, from artus; Gr.]
1. A single clause in a contract, account system of regulations, treaty, or other writing; a particular separate charge or item, in an account; a term, condition, or stipulation, in a contract. In short, a distinct part of a writing, instrument or discourse, consisting of two or more particulars; as, articles of agreement; an account consisting of many articles.
2. A point of faith; a doctrinal point or proposition in theology; as the thirty-nine articles.
3. A distinct part.
Upon each article of human duty.
4. A particular commodity, or substance; as, an article of merchandise; salt is a necessary article. In common usage, this word is applied to almost every separate substance or material.
The articles which compose the blood.
5. A point of time. [Not in use.]
6. In botany, that part of a stalk or stem, which is between two joints.
7. In grammar, an adjective used before nouns, to limit or define their application; as hic, ille, ipse, in Latin; in Greek; the, this, that, in English. The primary use of these adjectives was to convert an indeterminate name into a determinate one; or to limit the application of a common name, to a specific, known, or certain individual. But article being an improper term to express the true signification, I make use of definitive, which see.
'ARTICLE, v.t.
1. To draw up in distinct particulars; as, to article the errors or follies of a man.
2. To accuse or charge by an exhibition of articles. "He shall be articled against in the High Court of admiralty." Stat. 33. George III.
3. To bind by articles of covenant or stipulation; as, to article an apprentice to a mechanic.
'ARTICLE, v.i. [supra.] To agree by articles; to stipulate.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication
2: one of a class of artifacts; "an article of clothing"
3: a separate section of a legal document (as a statute or contract or will) [syn: article, clause]
4: (grammar) a determiner that may indicate the specificity of reference of a noun phrase v
1: bind by a contract; especially for a training period

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin articulus joint, division, diminutive of artus joint, limb; akin to Greek arariskein to fit — more at arm Date: 13th century 1. a. a distinct often numbered section of a writing b. a separate clause c. a stipulation in a document (as a contract or a creed) <articles of indenture> d. a nonfictional prose composition usually forming an independent part of a publication (as a magazine) 2. an item of business ; matter 3. any of a small set of words or affixes (as a, an, and the) used with nouns to limit or give definiteness to the application 4. a member of a class of things; especially an item of goods <articles of value> 5. a thing or person of a particular and distinctive kind or class <the genuine article> II. transitive verb (-cled; articling) Date: 1820 to bind by articles (as of apprenticeship)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 (often in pl.) an item or commodity, usu. not further distinguished (a collection of odd articles). 2 a non-fictional essay, esp. one included with others in a newspaper, magazine, journal, etc. 3 a a particular part (an article of faith). b a separate clause or portion of any document (articles of apprenticeship). 4 Gram. the definite or indefinite article. --v.tr. bind by articles of apprenticeship. Phrases and idioms: definite article Gram. the word (the in English) preceding a noun and implying a specific or known instance (as in the book on the table; the art of government; the famous public school in Berkshire). indefinite article Gram. the word (e.g. a, an, some in English) preceding a noun and implying lack of specificity (as in bought me a book; government is an art; went to a public school). the Thirty-nine Articles a set of beliefs affirmed by the ministers of the Church of England. Etymology: ME f. OF f. L articulus dimin. of artus joint

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Article Ar"ti*cle, n. [F., fr. L. articulus, dim. of artus joint, akin to Gr. ?, fr. a root ar to join, fit. See Art, n.] 1. A distinct portion of an instrument, discourse, literary work, or any other writing, consisting of two or more particulars, or treating of various topics; as, an article in the Constitution. Hence: A clause in a contract, system of regulations, treaty, or the like; a term, condition, or stipulation in a contract; a concise statement; as, articles of agreement. 2. A literary composition, forming an independent portion of a magazine, newspaper, or cyclopedia. 3. Subject; matter; concern; distinct. [Obs.] A very great revolution that happened in this article of good breeding. --Addison. This last article will hardly be believed. --De Foe. 4. A distinct part. ``Upon each article of human duty.'' --Paley. ``Each article of time.'' --Habington. The articles which compose the blood. --E. Darwin. 5. A particular one of various things; as, an article of merchandise; salt is a necessary article. They would fight not for articles of faith, but for articles of food. --Landor. 6. Precise point of time; moment. [Obs. or Archaic] This fatal news coming to Hick's Hall upon the article of my Lord Russell's trial, was said to have had no little influence on the jury and all the bench to his prejudice. --Evelyn. 7. (Gram.) One of the three words, a, an, the, used before nouns to limit or define their application. A (or an) is called the indefinite article, the the definite article. 8. (Zo["o]l.) One of the segments of an articulated appendage. Articles of Confederation, the compact which was first made by the original thirteen States of the United States. They were adopted March 1, 1781, and remained the supreme law until March, 1789. Articles of impeachment, an instrument which, in cases of impeachment, performs the same office which an indictment does in a common criminal case. Articles of war, rules and regulations, fixed by law, for the better government of the army. In the article of death [L. in articulo mortis], at the moment of death; in the dying struggle. Lords of the articles (Scot. Hist.), a standing committee of the Scottish Parliament to whom was intrusted the drafting and preparation of the acts, or bills for laws. The Thirty-nine Articles, statements (thirty-nine in number) of the tenets held by the Church of England.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Article Ar"ti*cle, v. i. To agree by articles; to stipulate; to bargain; to covenant. [R.] Then he articled with her that he should go away when he pleased. --Selden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Article Ar"ti*cle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Articled; p. pr. & vb. n. Articling.] [Cf. F. articuler, fr. L. articulare. See Article, n., Articulate.] 1. To formulate in articles; to set forth in distinct particulars. If all his errors and follies were articled against him, the man would seem vicious and miserable. --Jer. Taylor. 2. To accuse or charge by an exhibition of articles. He shall be articled against in the high court of admiralty. --Stat. 33 Geo. III. 3. To bind by articles of covenant or stipulation; as, to article an apprentice to a mechanic.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(articles) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. An article is a piece of writing that is published in a newspaper or magazine. ...a newspaper article... According to an article in The Economist the drug could have side effects. N-COUNT: oft N prep 2. You can refer to objects as articles of some kind. ...articles of clothing... ...household articles. N-COUNT: oft N of n 3. If you describe something as the genuine article, you are emphasizing that it is genuine, and often that it is very good. The vodka was the genuine article. PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v [emphasis] 4. An article of a formal agreement or document is a section of it which deals with a particular point. ...Article 50 of the UN charter. N-COUNT: oft N of n, N num 5. Someone who is in articles is being trained as a lawyer or accountant by a firm with whom they have a written agreement. (BRIT) N-PLURAL: usu prep N 6. In grammar, an article is a kind of determiner. In English, 'a' and 'an' are called the indefinite article, and 'the' is called the definite article. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Part, portion, branch, division, member, clause, paragraph, head, heading, item, particular, count, point. 2. Essay, piece, paper. 3. Thing, substance, commodity. 4. Instant, critical instant, moment, turning-point. 5. (Gram.) Particle of logical quantity, quantifying adjective, quantifying pronoun. II. v. a. Bind, indenture, apprentice.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A wench. A prime article. A handsome girl. She's a prime article (WHIP SLANG), she's a devilish good piece, a hell of a GOER.

Moby Thesaurus

accuse, affair, allege, apprentice, arraign, article of commerce, article of merchandise, artifact, aspect, autograph, back matter, beat, bind, bind over, book, brainchild, bring accusation, bring charges, bring to book, budget of news, case, causerie, chapter, charge, cite, clause, column, commodity, complain, composition, computer printout, copy, count, critique, datum, definite article, denounce, denunciate, descant, detail, determinative, determiner, dingus, discourse, discussion, disquisition, dissertation, division, document, dofunny, dohickey, dojigger, dojiggy, domajig, domajigger, doodad, dowhacky, draft, drug, edited version, element, engrossment, entity, eppes, essay, etude, etwas, examination, exclusive, excursus, exposition, facet, fact, factor, fair copy, fascicle, fasten on, fasten upon, feature, fiction, final draft, finger, finished version, first approach, first draft, flimsy, flumadiddle, folio, front matter, gadget, gathering, gigamaree, gimmick, gizmo, hang something on, hickey, holograph, homily, hootenanny, hootmalalie, impeach, imply, impute, incidental, indefinite article, indenture, indict, individual, inform against, inform on, insinuate, installment, instance, integer, introductory study, item, jigger, lay charges, lead item, leader, letter, literae scriptae, literary artefact, literary production, literature, livraison, lodge a complaint, lodge a plaint, loss leader, lucubration, manifesto, manuscript, material thing, matter, memoir, minor detail, minutia, minutiae, module, monograph, morceau, news item, nonfiction, note, noun determiner, number, object, opus, original, outline, page, pandect, paper, paragraph, parchment, part, particular, passage, penscript, person, persona, phrase, piece, piece of writing, pin on, play, poem, point, prefer charges, preliminary study, press charges, printed matter, printout, product, production, prolegomenon, put on report, quelque chose, reading matter, recension, regard, report, reproach, research paper, respect, scoop, screed, scrip, script, scrive, scroll, second draft, seconds, section, segment, sentence, serial, sheet, signature, single, singleton, sketch, something, soul, special, special article, spot news, standard article, staple, staple item, statement, story, study, survey, take to task, task, taunt with, tax, term paper, text, the written word, theme, thesis, thing, thingum, thingumadoodle, thingumajig, thingumajigger, thingumaree, thingummy, tract, tractate, transcript, transcription, treatise, treatment, twit, typescript, unit, vendible, verse, version, volume, ware, whatchy, widget, work, writing