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