Pronunciation: -ky ə -l ə t
Function: adjective
Etymology: Late Latin inarticulatus, from Latin in- + articulatus, past participle of articulare to utter distinctly ― more at ARTICULATE
Date: 1603
1 a of a sound : uttered or formed without the definite articulations of intelligible speech b (1) : incapable of speech especially under stress of emotion : MUTE (2) : incapable of being expressed by speech < inarticulate fear> (3) : not voiced or expressed : UNSPOKEN <society functions on many inarticulate premises>
2 : incapable of giving coherent, clear, or effective expression to one's ideas or feelings
3 [New Latin inarticulatus, from Latin in- + New Latin articulatus articulate] : relating to, characteristic of, or being an inarticulate or its shell
– in · ar · tic · u · late · ly adverb
– in · ar · tic · u · late · ness noun