The Latin adverb item or item, since both forms are accepted, originally means also, in addition or in the same way. This Latinism is used in this sense only in legal texts and in a very formal and cultured language. On the other hand, item means a specific or separate topic, being widely used in both Spanish and English in the academic field. Regarding its plural form, items should be written and not items.
An exam with several items
An item is a unit of information, which can be a question, a section or a specific aspect. Although in Spanish you can talk about an exam or a text with a series of sections, the use of the term item in the academic or teaching environment comes from English, in whose language it is very widespread and has ended up being incorporated into Spanish.
In many exams the teacher presents a text and from it formulates a series of questions or items. In this sense, there are items that have a closed response (for example, multiple choice tests) or items with an open response (for example, those in which a response must be developed). In any case, the use of the item concept in the academic sphere is due to its usefulness, since it is a way of structuring and organizing information. It should not be forgotten that it is more operative for a teacher to correct an exam with a series of specific items instead of asking a general and open question. At the same time, for the student facing a test, the use of items allows him to have a very approximate idea about the possible result of the test (if he has correctly answered six items out of a total of ten, he knows that he has passed).
Item as a synonym for consumer item
If there are thousands of items to buy in an establishment, the term item can be used to refer to them. Thus, in an online business the consumer can find a wide variety of products at his disposal and when purchasing them, the following message is very likely to appear: "select the item you want to purchase". Thus, an item is part of a catalog, of products for sale or of a computer storage system.
Latinisms in formal language
The use of Latinisms is very widespread in ordinary language but in a very special way in formal language. Sometimes we use them without realizing their remote origin. In letters or emails we use the abbreviation PD, which stands for post data. To measure something we use a ratio. In many texts sic is placed in parentheses, which means thus and refers to the way in which a word was expressed. The list of formal Latinisms is extensive: ibidem, quid, curriculum vitae, item, etc (the abbreviation for etcetera is also another Latinism).
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