articulation

[ahr-tik-yuh-ley-shuh n]

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noun

an act or the process of articulating: the articulation of a form; the articulation of a new thought.

Phonetics.

the act or process of articulating speech.
the adjustments and movements of speech organs involved in pronouncing a particular sound, taken as a whole.
any one of these adjustments and movements.
any speech sound, especially a consonant.

the act of jointing.

a jointed state or formation; a joint.

Botany.

a joint or place between two parts where separation may take place spontaneously, as at the point of attachment of a leaf.
a node in a stem, or the space between two nodes.

Anatomy, Zoology. a joint, as the joining or juncture of bones or of the movable segments of an arthropod.

Dentistry.

the positioning of teeth in a denture, usually on an articulator, for correct occlusion.
the bringing of opposing tooth surfaces into contact with each other.
the relations of the upper and lower natural or artificial teeth in occlusion.

a measure of the effectiveness of a telephonic transmission system in reproducing speech comprehensibly, expressed as the percentage of speech units uttered that is correctly understood.

Origin of articulation

1400–50; late Middle English articulacio(u)n < Middle French < Latin articulātiōn-, stem of articulātiō. See articulate, -ion

Related formsar·tic·u·la·to·ry

[ahr-tik-yuh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ɑrˈtɪk yə ləˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectivear·tic·u·la·to·ri·ly, adverbmis·ar·tic·u·la·tion, nounre·ar·tic·u·la·tion, nounsub·ar·tic·u·la·tion, nounun·ar·tic·u·la·to·ry, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for articulation

diction, enunciation, saying, talking, voicing, utterance, delivery, vocalization, pronunciation, verbalization, statement, expression, speaking, hinge, junction, coupling, union, juncture, joint, unification

Examples from the Web for articulation

Contemporary Examples of articulation

ALEC: The writing is so smart and well crafted that articulation is critical.
Alec Baldwin & Robert Carlock On How They Made '30 Rock' So Funny
Alec Baldwin, Robert Carlock
February 1, 2013
It's not like Kanye brought the articulation either when he apologized on his website.
Leave Kanye Alone
Choire Sicha
September 14, 2009

Historical Examples of articulation

Articulation was difficult, and I did not know my own voice.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
In the latter case, also, the distinctness of the articulation was improved.
Little Masterpieces of Science:
Various
The selection and articulation of these men in all communities is all that is necessary.
The Ghost in the White House
Gerald Stanley Lee
His English was good, and his articulation indicated a quality of breeding.
The Frozen Pirate
W. Clark Russell
Arthrodial: an articulation that permits motion in any direction.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith

British Dictionary definitions for articulation

articulation

noun

the act or process of speaking or expressing in words

the process of articulating a speech sound
the sound so produced, esp a consonant

the act or the state of being jointed together

the form or manner in which something is jointed

zoology

a joint such as that between bones or arthropod segments
the way in which jointed parts are connected

botany the part of a plant at which natural separation occurs, such as the joint between leaf and stem

a joint or jointing

Derived Formsarticulatory, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for articulation

early 15c., "a joint or joining; setting of bones," from Old French articulation, from Medieval Latin articulationem (nominative articulatio) "separation into joints," noun of action from past participle stem of articulare "to separate (meat) into joints," also "to utter distinctly," from articulus, diminutive of artus "joint" (see article).

articulation in Medicine