Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - inarticulate

 I. adjective  Etymology: Late Latin inarticulatus, from Latin in- + articulatus, past participle of articulare to utter distinctly — more at articulate  Date: 1603  1.  a. of a sound uttered or formed without the definite articulations of intelligible speech  b.  (1) incapable of speech especially under stress of emotion ; mute  (2) incapable of being expressed by speech ~ fear  (3) not voiced or expressed ; unspoken society functions on many ~ premises  2. incapable of giving coherent, clear, or effective expression to one's ideas or feelings  3. New Latin inarticulatus, from Latin in- + New Latin articulatus articulate relating to, characteristic of, or being an ~ or its shell  • ~ly adverb  • ~ness noun  II. noun  Date: 1952 any of a class (Inarticulata) of brachiopods lacking a hinge connecting the two shell valves