Etymology

articulate

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Today it means: To make clear or effective. Full definition →

Latin articulātus
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The story

  1. Latin · borrowed fromarticulātus“distinct, articulated, jointed”
  2. English todayarticulate

The adjective is first attested in 1531, the verb in 1551; borrowed from Latin articulātus (“distinct, articulated, jointed”), perfect passive participle of articulō, see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). Regular participial usage of the adjective up until Early Modern English.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.