[a. F. articulation (16th c. in Littré), ad. L. articulātiōn-em, n. of action f. articulāre to joint.]
1. The action or process of jointing; the state of being jointed; mode of jointing or junction.
1597. Lowe, Art Chyrurg. (1634), 360. Bones … joyned together … by Articulation.
1706. Art of Painting (1744), 201. Expressing exactly the articulation of the members.
1873. Burton, Hist. Scot., I. i. 2. A long process of growth and articulation.
1881. Mivart, Cat, 65. Serves for the articulation of the lower jaw.
1881. G. Milner, Country Pleas., xxxv. 197. The wonderful structure and articulation of the branches are revealed.
b. concr. A jointed structure or series.
1873. Burton, Hist. Scot., I. iii. 82. An articulation of mountains.
2. A joint. a. In the animal body: The structure or mechanism whereby two bones, or two parts of the invertebrate skeleton, are connected, whether stiffly, or in such a way that one moves in or on the other.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man, 913. Almost euery articulation is cursted ouer with a gristle to make the motion more easie.
1743. trans. Heister’s Surg., 106. Fractures near the Articulations.
1835. Kirby, Hab. & Inst. Anim., I. vi. 205. To form a kind of ball and socket articulation.
1835. Southw. Smith, Philos. Health, I. v. 198. The union of the bones of the cranium affords an example of an immoveable articulation.
b. In plants. The place at which a deciduous member, as a leaf, separates from the plant; also, the knots or joints in the stems of grasses, canes, etc.
1658. Sir T. Browne, Gard. Cyrus, II. 540. In the parts of plants which are not ordained for motion, we do not expect correspondent Articulations.
1742. Bailey, Articulation (among Herbalists), the Jointure or Knots that are in stalks or roots.
1830. Lindley, Nat. Syst. Bot., 223. The petiole almost always having an articulation.
3. One of the segments of a jointed body; the part contained between two joints, in a limb, the stem of a grass, etc.
1664. H. More, Myst. Iniq., iv. 10. The distinct Limbs and articulations thereof.
1833. Lyell, Elem. Geol., xix. (1874), 330. The numerous ‘articulations’ once composing the stem, arms and body of the encrinite were scattered at random.
1860. Samuelson, Honey Bee, ii. 17. The posterior or abdominal segment … is … distinctly divided into what appears to be perfect rings or articulations.
† 4. Bending by flexible joints. Obs. rare.
1541. R. Copland, Guydon’s Quest. Chirurg. Without these [muscles] it is nat possyble to make artyculacyon or mouyng.
† 5. (See quot.) Obs. rare.
1681. trans. Willis’ Rem. Med. Wks., Articulation, a shooting of spriggs from the joynts.
6. The utterance of the distinct elements of speech; articulate voice.
1615. Crooke, Body of Man, 629. The Tongue … is the very organ of Articulation.
1626. Bacon, Sylva, § 194. Overgreat distance confoundeth the articulation of sounds.
1773. Monboddo, Language (1774), I. I. xv. 184. Articulation is not natural to man.
1881. Whitney, Mixt. in Lang., 22. Articulation is virtually syllabication,—a brenking of the stream of utterance into joints, by the intervention of closer utterances, or consonants (only exceptionally of hiatus), between the opener utterances, or vowels.
7. Utterance; speech.
a. 1711. Ken, Anodynes, Poet. Wks. 1721, III. 418. My Spirit intercepts my Cries, E’re they t’articulation rise.
1855. Singleton, Virgil, I. 311. And to my jaws articulation clave.
8. An articulate sound or utterance.
1764. Reid, Inquiry, iv. § 2. The articulations of the voice seem to be of all signs the most proper for artificial language.
1855. H. Spencer, Psychol. (1872), I. II. ii. 173. Sequent notes, or articulations, cling together with tenacity.
b. esp. A consonant.
1849. A. M. Bell, Princ. Elocut., 39. All actions of the vocal organs which partially or wholly obstruct or which compress the breath or voice, are called articulations. Ibid. (1878). The oral actions here denominated ‘articulations’ have been more commonly called ‘consonants.’
9. Articulate quality, distinctness. rare.
c. 1785. Cowper, Needl. Alarm, 68. The looks and gestures of their griefs and fears Have all articulation in his ears.
a. 1834. Coleridge, Notes & Lect. (1849), I. 9 (in Webster). That definiteness and articulation of imagery.
