inarticulate

English

Etymology 1

From Latin inarticulatus and from in- +‎ articulate. See -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪn.ɑɹˈtɪk.jə.lət/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪn.ɑːˈtɪk.jʊ.lət/
• Hyphenation: in‧ar‧tic‧u‧late

Adjective

inarticulate (comparative more inarticulate, superlative most inarticulate)

1. (of speech) Not articulated in normal words.
   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXXIII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 274:

     Major Johnstone strove to speak, but the words died in an inarticulate gurgle low in his throat; and Evelyn had only time to start from his knee, and save the dying man from falling to the earth.

   • 2024 September 8, HarryBlank, “Next to Nothing”, in SCP Foundation‎^[1], archived from the original on 5 October 2024:

     Pensak made an inarticulate shout of surprise, and O stepped away from the sudden precipice so hard that she collided with the back of the elevator, and yelped.

2. Speechless.
3. Unable to speak with any clarity.
4. (biology) Not having joints or other articulations.

Translations

not articulated in normal words

• Bulgarian: неразбираем (bg) (nerazbiraem)
• Russian: невня́тный (ru) (nevnjátnyj), неразбо́рчивый (ru) (nerazbórčivyj), нечленоразде́льный (ru) (nečlenorazdélʹnyj)

speechless

• Bulgarian: безмълвен (bg) (bezmǎlven)
• German: sprachlos (de), unfähig zu sprechen
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: fåmælt, ute av stand til å si noe

• Russian: безмо́лвный (ru) (bezmólvnyj)

unable to speak with clarity

• Bulgarian: нечленоразделен (nečlenorazdelen)
• German: undeutlich (de), unartikuliert
• Greek: άναρθρος (el) (ánarthros)
• Irish: amhlabhrach
• Maori: pakoki, ngau, nanu

not having joints or other articulations

• Bulgarian: несъчленен (nesǎčlenen)
• German: gliederlos
• Manx: neuoltagh

Etymology 2

From the substantivation of the above adjective through the associated taxon's name (Inarticulata). Used by contrast with Articulata.

Noun

inarticulate (plural inarticulates)

1. (zoology, obsolete) An animal belonging to the subphylum Inarticulata.