adjective / verb
articulate
Joined or joining together at joints.
The two model bones articulate at a freely moving joint.
Etymology
The Latin verb concerns forming or dividing at joints. This physical sense survives when parts are articulate: they are connected at joints rather than forming one continuous rigid piece.
More examples
- The skeleton has articulate limbs.
- The engineer designed an articulated robotic finger.
- Each segment articulates with the next one.
Forms
articulate · articulates · articulated · articulating
Similar words
- jointed
- The clearer ordinary adjective for parts connected by joints.
- connect
- Joins things without necessarily allowing jointed movement.