Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "item" come from? It comes from Latin item, and was adopted directly into English (1560s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "item" come from? It comes from Latin item, and was adopted directly into English (1560s).
Item’s story begins in Latin: item meant “likewise, also.” An adverb used to begin each entry in a list. It reached English by 1560s as item. Turned into a noun for each thing listed. Today, item means an individual article or unit.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient item "likewise, also", an adverb used to begin each entry in a list.
- Stage 2 · English · 1560s item "an individual thing", turned into a noun for each thing listed.