articulated
UK: ɑːˈtɪkjʊleɪtɪd | US: ɑːrˈtɪkjʊleɪtɪd
adj. 1. Having joints or segments connected flexibly (e.g., an articulated skeleton).
adj. 2. Clearly expressed or pronounced (e.g., articulated speech).
vt. 3. To connect by joints; to express coherently.
Derived from Latin articulatus (jointed), from articulus (small joint, division), a diminutive of artus (joint). The root articul- reflects the concept of division into parts, later extended metaphorically to speech ("dividing sounds clearly"). The suffixes -ate (verb-forming) and -ed (past participle) modernized the word into its current adjectival and verbal forms, retaining both literal (mechanical) and figurative (linguistic) meanings.
The robot’s articulated arms moved with precision.
She articulated her arguments clearly during the debate.
The dinosaur fossil had an articulated tail structure.
His speech was finely articulated, leaving no room for misunderstanding.
Engineers designed an articulated bus to navigate tight city corners.