n. 1. An individual thing or element of a class; a particular object or item: an article of clothing; articles of food. 2. A particular section or item of a series in a written document, as in a contract, constitution, or treaty. 3. A nonfictional literary composition that forms an independent part of a publication, as of a newspaper or magazine. 4. Grammar a. The part of speech used to indicate nouns and to specify their application. b. Any of the words belonging to this part of speech. In English, the indefinite articles are a and an and the definite article is the. 5. A particular part or subject; a specific matter or point. tr.v. ar·ti·cled, ar·ti·cling, ar·ti·cles To bind by articles set forth in a contract, such as one of apprenticeship. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin articulus, joint, article, diminutive of artus, joint (translation of Greek arthron, joint, article); see ar- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.