articulability
|ar-tic-u-la-bil-i-ty|
🇺🇸
/ɑrˌtɪkjəˈbɪlɪti/
🇬🇧
/ɑːˌtɪkjʊləˈbɪlɪti/
capable of being expressed or uttered
Etymology
'articulability' ultimately originates from Latin, specifically from the adjective 'articulatus' (past participle of 'articulare'), where 'articul-' related to 'articulus' meaning 'a joint' and the verb sense 'articulare' meant 'to divide into joints' or 'to utter distinctly'.
'articulatus' (Latin) passed into Late Latin and Old French as forms meaning 'jointed' or 'distinct', influenced the Middle English verb 'articulaten'/'articulaten' and the adjective 'articulate', and from the adjective the English abstract noun formation with the suffix '-ability' produced 'articulability' in modern English.
Initially related to 'joint' or 'having joints' and to 'dividing into parts', the sense shifted toward 'uttering distinctly' and 'able to be expressed clearly'; over time it evolved into the abstract quality expressed by the modern word 'articulability'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the quality or state of being capable of being expressed, explained, or made clear in speech or writing.
The articulability of her proposal helped the committee understand the complex plan.
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Noun 2
the degree to which sounds or words can be pronounced distinctly (phonetic pronounceability).
Linguists tested the articulability of the new phoneme in different dialects.
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Noun 3
the property of being capable of being jointed or moved at a joint (mechanical or anatomical articulateness).
Engineers evaluated the articulability of the prosthetic design to ensure natural movement.
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Last updated: 2025/10/23 17:24