Articulation

How to spell articulation

12 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce articulation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does articulation mean?

1. nounThe clear and distinct pronunciation of words or expression of ideas.
2. nounA joint or jointed connection between two parts, as in a body or a machine.

Articulation in a sentence

• The actor was praised for the precise articulation of every line.

• The surgeon examined the articulation of the knee on the scan.

• Poor articulation made the recorded message hard to follow.

• The robot arm gained extra reach from a new articulation at the elbow.

Where does articulation come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin articulus, a diminutive of artus meaning 'a joint' or 'a limb', so articulus literally meant 'a little joint' or a small connecting part. From it the verb articulare was formed, meaning 'to divide into joints' and, by extension, 'to utter distinctly', since clear speech was imagined as dividing a stream of sound into separate, jointed segments. English picked up the noun in the late 1500s through French, carrying both threads of meaning: the physical joining of parts and the crisp, divided delivery of words. The very same Latin root sits inside the everyday word 'article', a small jointed piece of a larger text, which is a handy reminder that the spelling keeps the 'articul' chunk intact. Remembering that artus meant a limb or joint helps fix the central 'i' and the single 'l' before the -ation ending.

How the word is built

• articul- (from Latin articulus: a small joint or division)
• -ation (noun-forming suffix denoting an action or result)