Dictionary
ar•tic•u•late
Pronunciation: (
—adj., n.är-tik'yu-lit;
—v.är-tik'yu-lāt"), [key]
—adj., v., -lat•ed, -lat•ing,
—n.
—
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. Zool.having joints or articulations; composed of segments.
—
v.t.
1. to utter clearly and distinctly; pronounce with clarity.
2. Phonet.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. Dentistry.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. Phonet.to articulate a speech sound.
3. Anat., Zool.to form a joint.
4. Obs.to make terms of agreement.
—
n.
a segmented invertebrate.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
