Published 2026-09-14

articulate

Follow “articulate” through time. Which part surprised you? #words #vocabulary

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   A WORD THROUGH TIME: Where did “articulate” come from?. Articulate came from Late Latin articulatus, clearly uttered, the participle of articulare, to make distinct sounds and, earlier, to divide into parts. That verb came from Latin articulus, a small joint or distinct part, itself a diminutive of artus, joint.

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   THE CONNECTION: Follow the connection. A joint both separates parts and connects them into a working whole. The same image was applied to speech divided into distinct, intelligible sounds; an articulate speaker then became someone able to arrange and express thoughts clearly.

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   THE MEANING TODAY: “articulate”. Say it: /ɑː(ɹ)ˈtɪk.jʊ.leɪt/
   Meaning: Provide with a joint.

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   YOUR TURN: “articulate”. Which part of this word’s history surprised you?

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   PLAY LEXIFOUR: Try five more words. Play the free daily vocabulary game at lexifour.com.
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