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Article comes from Middle English article, from Old French article ‘joint’, from Latin articulus ‘a joint’, from artus, ultimately from PIE *h₂er-.

1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂er-¹‘to join’reconstructed
2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂értus¹‘that which is fit together’reconstructed
3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEartus¹
4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEarticulus¹‘a joint’
5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400article¹‘joint’
6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500article¹
7. Englishearliest quotation 1634article¹

1. ¹ Wiktionary, English article
2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1634, William Habington: “each article of time”.