MEANING
To separate bones at a joint, or to come apart at their jointed connections.
Use it for
Anatomical dismantling; decomposition separating a skeleton; meticulous violenceMake the joint the point of separation, which suggests precision or structural collapse.
Words that belong together
- disarticulate a joint
- disarticulated skeleton
- disarticulated limb
On the page
The limb had been disarticulated at the shoulder.
As the remains decayed, the smaller bones disarticulated.
The curator arranged the disarticulated skeleton in separate trays.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- disarticulate / disarticulates
- Past tense
- disarticulated
- Past participle
- disarticulated
- Present participle
- disarticulating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- disarticulate / disarticulates
- Present continuous
- am/is/are disarticulating
- Present perfect
- have/has disarticulated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been disarticulating
- Past
- disarticulated
- Past continuous
- was/were disarticulating
- Past perfect
- had disarticulated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been disarticulating
- Future
- will disarticulate / disarticulates
- Future continuous
- will be disarticulating
- Future perfect
- will have disarticulated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been disarticulating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Explore related collections
Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Medical or anatomical; detachment at a joint differs from cutting through the shaft of a bone. Not merely awkward movement. Verb [base, third-person present, past, past participle, -ing]: disarticulate, disarticulates, disarticulated, disarticulated, disarticulating. Derived/related family (not inflections): disarticulation (noun).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.