1. An individual thing or element of a class; a particular object or item: An article of clothing or articles of food.
2. Particular sections or items of a series in a written document: Contracts, constitutions, or treaties are examples of articles.
3. A nonfictional literary composition that forms an independent part of a publication: For example, articles are printed in newspapers and magazines.
4. In grammar, the part of speech used to indicate nouns and to specify their applications or 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. Etymology: from about 1230, "separate parts of anything written", from Old French article, from Latin articulus, diminutive of artus "a joint".

The meaning was extended to "a small division", then generalized to "an item, a thing". Older senses were preserved in Articles of War or "military regulations" (1716) and Articles of Confederation (U.S. history).

The meaning of "literary composition in a journal, etc." (independent, but part of a larger work) was first recorded in 1712. The meaning of "pieces of property" (clothing, etc.) was first recorded in 1796.

Simple electronic tags that can be turned on or off to indicate check-out or check-in status of products: When an item is purchased (or borrowed from a library), the electronic article surveillance is turned off.

When someone passes a gate, or door, of a place holding an item with an electronic article surveillance that hasn't been turned off, an alarm sounds.

The bar code standard used throughout Europe, Asia and South America. It is administered by EAN International.