articulate: Meaning and Definition of

ar•tic•u•late

Pronunciation: (adj., n.är-tik'yu-litv.är-tik'yu-lāt&sec), [key]
— adj., v., n. -lat•ed, -lat•ing,
—adj.
  1. uttered clearly in distinct syllables.
  2. capable of speech; not speechless.
  3. using language easily and fluently; having facility with words: an articulate speaker.
  4. expressed, formulated, or presented with clarity and effectiveness: an articulate thought.
  5. made clear, distinct, and precise in relation to other parts: an articulate form; an articulate shape; an articulate area.
  6. (of ideas, form, etc.) having a meaningful relation to other parts: an articulate image.
  7. having parts or distinct areas organized into a coherent or meaningful whole; unified: an articulate system of philosophy.
  8. having joints or articulations; composed of segments.
—v.t.
  1. to utter clearly and distinctly; pronounce with clarity.
  2. to make the movements and adjustments of the speech organs necessary to utter (a speech sound).
  3. to give clarity or distinction to: to articulate a shape; to articulate an idea.
  4. to subject to articulation.
  5. to unite by a joint or joints.
  6. to reveal or make distinct: an injection to articulate arteries so that obstructions can be observed by x-ray.
—v.i.
  1. to pronounce clearly each of a succession of speech sounds, syllables, or words; enunciate: to articulate with excessive precision.
  2. to articulate a speech sound.
  3. to form a joint.
  4. to make terms of agreement.
—n.
  1. a segmented invertebrate.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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