'inarticulate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'inarticulatus,' where 'in-' meant 'not' and 'articulatus' meant 'distinctly spoken.'

'inarticulatus' transformed into the French word 'inarticulé,' and eventually became the modern English word 'inarticulate' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'not distinctly spoken,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.