articulation

American  

[ahr-tik-yuh-ley-shuhn] / ɑrˌtɪk yəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act or the process of articulating.

   the articulation of a form;

   the articulation of a new thought.

2. Phonetics.

   1. the act or process of articulating speech.

   2. the adjustments and movements of speech organs involved in pronouncing a particular sound, taken as a whole.

   3. any one of these adjustments and movements.

   4. any speech sound, especially a consonant.

3. the act of jointing.

4. a jointed state or formation; a joint.

5. Botany.

   1. a joint or place between two parts where separation may take place spontaneously, as at the point of attachment of a leaf.

   2. a node in a stem, or the space between two nodes.

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

7. Dentistry.

   1. the positioning of teeth in a denture, usually on an articulator, for correct occlusion.

   2. the bringing of opposing tooth surfaces into contact with each other.

   3. the relations of the upper and lower natural or artificial teeth in occlusion.

8. 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.

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articulation British  

/ ɑːˌtɪkjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of speaking or expressing in words

2. 1. the process of articulating a speech sound

   2. the sound so produced, esp a consonant

3. the act or the state of being jointed together

4. the form or manner in which something is jointed

5. zoology

   1. a joint such as that between bones or arthropod segments

   2. the way in which jointed parts are connected

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

7. a joint or jointing

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articulation Scientific  

/ är-tĭk′yə-lā′shən /

1. The arrangement of parts connected by joints.

2. A fixed or movable joint between bones.

3. A movable joint between inflexible parts of the body of an animal, as the divisions of an appendage in arthropods.

4. A joint between two separable parts, as a leaf and a stem.

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Other Word Forms

• articulatorily adverb
• articulatory adjective
• misarticulation noun
• rearticulation noun
• subarticulation noun
• unarticulatory adjective

Etymology

Origin of articulation

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English articulacio(u)n, from Middle French, from Latin articulātiōn-, stem of articulātiō “division into distinct parts,” from articulāt(us) “divided into distinct parts” + -iō noun suffix; articulate -ion

Example Sentences

The toy features elbow and wrist articulation, which allows for stimming and other gestures.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

Rarely if ever have I heard a performance so crisp in articulation and lush in musicality.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

One of the key challenges that the doctrine poses to regulatory governance is its malleability, thanks to the high court’s poor articulation of the philosophy’s scope and application.

From Slate • Jun. 13, 2025

That's closely akin relates to my own 2021 proposal that public health — framed as a collective articulation of caring — could play a similar role:

From Salon • May 10, 2025

His ear focused on the howl of the aircraft and an unformed prayer arose in him that this engine retain its demon whine, its savage articulation.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• diction