[in.ar.tic.u.late] adj [LL inarticulatus, fr. L in- + articulatus, pp. of articulare to utter distinctly--more at articulate] (1603) 1 a of a sound: uttered or formed without the definite articulations of intelligible speech b (1): incapable of speech esp. under stress of emotion: mute (2): incapable of being expressed by speech "~ fear" (3): not voiced or expressed: unspoken "society functions on many ~ premises"
2: incapable of giving coherent, clear, or effective expression to one's ideas or feelings 3 [NL inarticulatus, fr. L in- + NL articulatus articulate]: relating to, characteristic of, or being an inarticulate or its shell -- in.ar.tic.u.late.ly adv -- in.ar.tic.u.late.ness n
[2]inarticulate n (1952): any of a class (Inarticulata) of brachiopods lacking a hinge connecting the two shell valves