different between article vs quantity

English

Etymology

From Middle English article, from Old French article, from Latin articulus (“a joint, limb, member, part, division, the article in grammar, a point of time”), from Latin artus, from Proto-Indo-European *h?értus (“that which is fit together; juncture, ordering”), from the root *h?er- (“to join, fit (together)”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /???t?k?l/, [???t??k???]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /???t?k?l/, /???t?kl?/, [??(?)???k?]
• Rhymes: -??(?)t?k?l

Noun

article (plural articles)

1. A piece of nonfictional writing such as a story, report, opinion piece, or entry in a newspaper, magazine, journal, dictionary, encyclopedia, etc.
2. An object, a member of a group or class.

3. (grammar) A part of speech that indicates, specifies and limits a noun (a, an, or the in English). In some languages the article may appear as an ending (e.g. definite article in Swedish) or there may be none (e.g. Russian, Pashto).
4. A section of a legal document, bylaws, etc. or, in the plural, the entire document seen as a collection of these.

5. A genuine article.
6. A part or segment of something joined to other parts, or, in combination, forming a structured set.
   • 1785, William Paley, Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy

     upon each article of human duty

   • 1794, Erasmus Darwin, Zoonomia

     the different articles which compose the blood

7. (derogatory, dated) A person; an individual.

   a shrewd article
8. (archaic) A wench.

9. (dated) Subject matter; concern.

   • a very great revolution that happened in this article of good breeding

   • 1722, Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year

     This last article perhaps will hardly be believed.

10. (dated) A distinct part.
11. (obsolete) A precise point in time; a moment.
    • 1683, John Evelyn, Diary, 13 July 1683.

      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.

    • 1805, Charles Hall, The Effects of Civilisation on the People in European States, Original Preface:

      […] who has more opportunities of acquiring the knowledge, than a physician? He is admitted into the dwellings of all ranks of people, and into the innermost parts of them; he sees them by their fireside, at their tables, and in their beds; he sees them at work, and at their recreations; he sees them in health, in sickness, and in the article of death; […]

    • 1634, William Habington, Castara

      each article of time

Derived terms

Related terms

• articulate
• articulation

Translations

Verb

article (third-person singular simple present articles, present participle articling, simple past and past participle articled)

1. (transitive) To bind by articles of apprenticeship.

   to article an apprentice to a mechanic

   • 1876, Sabine Baring-Gould, The Vicar of Morwenstow, Chapter LIV

     When the boy left school at Liskeard, he was articled to a lawyer, Mr. Jacobson, at Plymouth, a wealthy man in good practice, first cousin to his mother; but this sort of profession did not at all approve itself to Robert's taste, and he only remained with Mr. Jacobson a few months.

2. (obsolete) To accuse or charge by an exhibition of articles or accusations.
   • 1665, Samuel Pepys, Diary, March 1665

     At noon dined alone with Sir W. Batten, where great discourse of Sir W. Pen, Sir W. Batten being, I perceive, quite out of love with him, thinking him too great and too high, and began to talk that the world do question his courage, upon which I told him plainly I have been told that he was articled against for it, and that Sir H. Vane was his great friend therein.

   • 1793, Manning of the Navy Act (Statutes of George III 33 c. 66) ¶VIII[2]:

     […] if the Captain of any Merchant ship under convoy shall wilfully disobey Signals […] he shall be liable to be articled against in the High Court of Admiralty […]

3. To formulate in articles; to set forth in distinct particulars.
   • 1650, Jeremy Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living

     If […] all his errors and follies were articled against him, the man would seem vicious and miserable.

Derived terms

• articled clerk

Further reading

• article in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• article in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• clairet, lacerti, recital

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin articulus. Compare the inherited doublet artell.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /???ti.kl?/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?r?ti.kl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /a??ti.kle/

Noun

article m (plural articles)

1. article (a piece of nonfictional writing)
2. (grammar) article

Derived terms

• article determinat
• article definit

Further reading

• “article” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “article” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “article” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “article” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

From Old French article, borrowed from Latin articulus. Compare the inherited doublet orteil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a?.tikl/

Noun

article m (plural articles)

1. article (a piece of nonfictional writing)
2. (grammar) article
3. merchandise, sales article
4. section (of a law)
5. (dated) joint, articulation
6. moment (only in the phrase à l'article de la mort)

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

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

Occitan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin articulus.

Pronunciation

Noun

article m (plural articles)

1. article (a piece of nonfictional writing)

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin articulus.

Noun

article m (oblique plural articles, nominative singular articles, nominative plural article)

1. (anatomy) joint; articulation
2. (religion) article (of faith)
3. article (clause in a legal document or treaty)

Usage notes

• Occasionally used as a feminine noun

Descendants

• French: article

References

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (article, supplement)
• article on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub

English

Etymology

From Middle English quantite, from Old French quantité, from Latin quantit?s (“quantity”), from quantus (“how much”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?kw?n.t?.ti/
• (General American) enPR: kw?n?(t)?t?, IPA^(key): /?kw?n(t)?ti/, [?k?w?n(?)??i], [?k?w?n(t?)?t?i]
  • Note: This is with a relaxed middle T, and is only used in colloquial contexts by many speakers.
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /?kw?nd?di/, /?kw?n???i/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /?kwæn.t?.ti/

Noun

quantity (countable and uncountable, plural quantities)

1. A fundamental, generic term used when referring to the measurement (count, amount) of a scalar, vector, number of items or to some other way of denominating the value of a collection or group of items.

2. An indefinite amount of something.

   Some soap making oils are best as base oils, used in a larger quantity in the soap, while other oils are best added in a small quantity.

3. A specific measured amount.

4. A considerable measure or amount.

5. (metrology) Property of a phenomenon, body, or substance, where the property has a magnitude that can be expressed as number and a reference.
6. (mathematics) Indicates that the entire preceding expression is henceforth considered a single object.
   • 2006, Jerome E. Kaufmann and Karen Schwitters, Elementary and Intermediate Algebra: A Combined Approach, p 89

     For problems 58-67, translate each word phrase into an algebraic expression. […] 65. x plus 9, the quantity squared

   • 2005, R. Mark Sirkin, Statistics For The Social Sciences, p137

     The second, ${\displaystyle (\sum x)^{2}}$, read "summation of x, quantity squared," tells us to first add up all the xs to get ${\displaystyle \sum x}$ and then square ${\displaystyle \sum x}$ to get ${\displaystyle (\sum x)^{2}}$.

   • 1985, Serge Lang, Math!: Encounters with High School Students, p54

     ANN. ${\displaystyle ra}$ quantity cubed.

     SERGE LANG. That's right, ${\displaystyle (ra)^{3}}$.

Usage notes

• In mathematics, used to unambiguously orate mathematical equations; it is extremely rare in print, since there is no need for it there.

Synonyms

• Qty

Derived terms

• unknown quantity

Related terms

Translations

See also

• measure
• unit

Further reading

• quantity in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• quantity in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• quantity at OneLook Dictionary Search