verb + item : buy
4
noun + item : news, newspaper
item|ize /a I təma I z/ (itemizes , itemizing , itemized ) in BRIT, also use itemise VERB If you itemize a number of things, you make a list of them. □ [V n] Itemise your gear and mark major items with your name and post code. □ [V -ed] …a fully itemised bill.
I t-girl (It-girls ) also It girl N‑COUNT Journalists sometimes use It-girl to describe a young woman who is well-known because she goes to the most fashionable places and events and knows famous people. [INFORMAL , JOURNALISM ] □ She is being heralded as fashion's new it-girl .
itin|er|ant /a I t I nərənt/ (itinerants )
1 ADJ [ADJ n] An itinerant worker travels around a region, working for short periods in different places. [FORMAL ] □ …the author's experiences as an itinerant musician.
2 N‑COUNT An itinerant is someone whose way of life involves travelling around, usually someone who is poor and homeless. [FORMAL ]
itin|er|ary /a I t I nərəri, [AM ] -eri/ (itineraries ) N‑COUNT An itinerary is a plan of a journey, including the route and the places that you will visit. □ The next place on our itinerary was Silistra.
it'll / I t ə l/ It'll is a spoken form of 'it will'. □ It's ages since I've seen her so it'll be nice to meet her in town on Thursday.
its ◆◆◆ / I ts/ Its is a third person singular possessive determiner. DET You use its to indicate that something belongs or relates to a thing, place, or animal that has just been mentioned or whose identity is known. You can use its to indicate that something belongs or relates to a child or baby. □ The British Labor Party concludes its annual conference today in Brighton. □ …Japan, with its extreme housing shortage.
it's / I ts/
1 It's is the usual spoken form of 'it is'. □ It's the best news I've heard in a long time.
2 It's is the usual spoken form of 'it has', especially when 'has' is an auxiliary verb. □ It's been such a long time since I played.
it|self ◆◆◆ / I tse lf/
1 PRON Itself is used as the object of a verb or preposition when it refers to something that is the same thing as the subject of the verb. □ …remarkable new evidence showing how the body rebuilds itself while we sleep. □ Unemployment does not correct itself.
2 PRON You use itself to emphasize the thing you are referring to. [EMPHASIS ] □ I think life itself is a learning process. □ The involvement of the foreign ministers was itself a sign of progress.
3 PRON If you say that someone is, for example, politeness itself or kindness itself , you are emphasizing they are extremely polite or extremely kind. [EMPHASIS ] □ I was never really happy there, although the people were kindness itself.
4 an end in itself → see end
ITV /a I tiː viː /
1 N‑PROPER [with sing or pl verb] ITV refers to the group of British commercial television companies that broadcasts programmes on one channel. ITV is an abbreviation for 'Independent Television'. [BRIT ] □ ITV has set its sights on winning a younger and more upmarket audience.
2 N‑PROPER ITV is the television channel that is run by ITV. □ The first episode will be shown tomorrow at 10.40pm on ITV.
SUFFIX -ity
forms nouns that refer to a particular state or quality. For example, simplicity is the quality of being simple.
IUD /a I juː diː / (IUDs ) N‑COUNT An IUD is a piece of plastic or metal which is put inside a woman's womb in order to prevent her from becoming pregnant. IUD is an abbreviation for 'intra-uterine device'.
I've /a I v/ I've is the usual spoken form of 'I have', especially when 'have' is an auxiliary verb. □ I've been invited to meet with the American Ambassador. □ I've no other appointments.
IVF /a I viː e f/ N‑UNCOUNT IVF is a method of helping a woman to have a baby in which an egg is removed from one of her ovaries, fertilized outside her body, and then replaced in her womb. IVF is an abbreviation for 'in vitro fertilization'.
ivo|ry /a I vəri/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Ivory is a hard cream-coloured substance which forms the tusks of elephants. It is valuable and can be used for making carved ornaments. □ …the international ban on the sale of ivory.
2 COLOUR Ivory is a creamy-white colour.
i vo|ry to w|er (ivory towers ) N‑COUNT [N n] If you describe someone as living in an ivory tower , you mean that they have no knowledge or experience of the practical problems of everyday life. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Jenkins should get down from his ivory tower and sample the real world.
ivy /a I vi/ (ivies ) N‑VAR Ivy is an evergreen plant that grows up walls or along the ground.
I vy League N‑PROPER The Ivy League is a group of eight universities in the north-eastern part of the United States, which have high academic and social status. □ …an Ivy League college.
SUFFIX -ize
Verbs that can end in either -ize or -ise are dealt with in this dictionary at the -ize spelling. Many verbs ending in -ize describe processes by which things or people are brought into a new state. For example, 'The dispute could jeopardize the negotiations.'
Jj
J , j /dʒe I / (J's, j's ) N‑VAR J is the tenth letter of the English alphabet.
jab /dʒæ b/ (jabs , jabbing , jabbed )