different between article vs creature

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

Alternative forms

• creäture (archaic, chiefly literary and philosophy)

Etymology

From Middle English creature in the original sense of “a created thing”, borrowed via Old French creature, criature, from Latin cre?t?ra, from cre?. Displaced native Old English ?es?eaft. Doublet of craythur and critter.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kr?'ch?, IPA^(key): /?k?i?t???/
• (General American) enPR: kr?'ch?r, IPA^(key): /?k?i?t????/
• (archaic) enPR: kr?.??tyo?or, IPA^(key): /k?i??e?tj??/
• Rhymes: -i?t??(?)

Noun

creature (plural creatures)

1. A living being; an animal.
   • 1859, Ferna Vale, Natalie; or, A Gem Among the Sea-Weeds

     But what would be the sentiment of uppertendom, when it should be rumored that the beautiful young creature, of the proud Clarence Delwood's choice, had stooped so low, as to maintain herself by her own hands?

2. (sometimes derogatory) A human.
3. (now rare, religion) A created thing, whether animate or inanimate; a creation.
   • 1633, John Donne, "Sapho to Philænis":

     Thoughts, my mindes creatures, often are with thee, / But I, their maker, want their libertie.

   • 1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica, I.10:

     the natural truth of God is an artificial erection of Man, and the Creator himself but a subtile invention of the Creature.
4. A being subservient to or dependent upon another.
   • 1988, James McPherson, Battle Cry for Freedom, Oxford 2003, p. 240:

     they, too, despite the appearance of being creatures rather than creators of the Union, could assert the prior sovereignty of their states, for each had formed a state constitution […] before petitioning Congress for admission to the Union.

Usage notes

• For an explanation of the specialised use of the alternative spelling creäture, see its entry's usage notes.
• Adjectives often applied to "creature": evil, living, little, mythical, poor, strange, beautiful, wild, rational, marine, social, legendary, good, mysterious, curious, magical, dangerous, mythological, bizarre, monstrous, unhappy, huge, lowly, ugly, happy, unique, odd, weird, demonic, divine, imaginary, hideous, fabulous, nocturnal, angelic, political.

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:creature

Derived terms

• creatural
• creature comfort
• (from dialectal forms) critter, creetur, cratur, craythur

Related terms

Translations

References

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

Anagrams

• ecarteur

Italian

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ure

Noun

creature f

1. plural of creatura

Latin

Participle

cre?t?re

1. vocative masculine singular of cre?t?rus

Middle Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cre?t?ra.

Noun

creature f

1. creature, being

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: creatuur

Further reading

• “creature”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “creature”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, ?ISBN

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French criature, creature, from Latin cre?t?ra; equivalent to createn +? -ure.

Alternative forms

• creatur, creatour, creatoure, creater, creture, crature, cryature, criature

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kr??a??tiu?r/, /kr??a?tiu?r/, /kr??a?tu?r/
• (reduced second syllable) IPA^(key): /kr???tiu?r/, /?kr???tiu?r/, /?kr??tur/
• (accented second syllable) IPA^(key): /kr??a?tiu?r/, /?kra?tiu?r/

Noun

creature (plural creatures)

1. Something that has been created; an entity or object.
2. A living being or creature; an animal or beast.
3. A human being (often as a term of self-abasement).
4. (rare) The whole world, the totality of existence.
5. (rare) The process of making or creation.

Descendants

• English: creature; critter; craytur
• Scots: creature, crayter

References

• “cr??t?re, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2019-02-18.

Etymology 2

Noun

creature

1. Alternative form of creatour

Old French

Etymology

Late Latin cre?t?ra.

Noun

creature f (oblique plural creatures, nominative singular creature, nominative plural creatures)

1. creature; being; entity

Descendants

• Middle English: creature
• French: créature