A ioynt: a knot or ioynt in twigges of trees. Magnos articulorum dolores habet. Cic. He is very sicke of the gome. Molli articulo aliquem excipere. Quintil. To handle one gently. Articuli sarmentorum, per translationem. Cic. Knottes or ioyntes. Articuli segetum. Plin. Knottes. Si in articulum seges ire cœperit. Plin. Beginne in grow to knottes or ioyntes. Articuli montium. Plin. Hillockes in greathills. Articulus temporum. Plin. A moment or point of time. Vt eum suis conditionibus in ipso articulo temporis astringeret. Cic Euen at the very point or instant. In ipso articulo opprimere. Terent. To come vpon one, euen at the very point or instant. Articulus in oratione dicitur, quum singula verba interuallis distingÛtur, cæsa oratione, hoc modo: Acrimonia, voce, vultu aduersarios perterruisti. Item, Inimicos inuidia, iniurijs, porentia, persidia sustulisti. Author ad Here. Oratio sine neruis & articulis. Author ad Hereon. Articulis membrisque distincta oratio. Cic.

I. A.. Lit.: nodi corporum, qui vocantur articuli, Plin. 11, 37, 88, 217: hominis digiti articulos habent ternos, pollex binos, id. 11, 43, 99, 244: summus caudae articulus, id. 8, 41, 63, 153 al.: crura sine nodis articulisque, Caes. B. G. 6, 27: ipso in articulo, quo jungitur capiti cervix, Liv. 27, 49: auxerat articulos macies, i. e. had made more joints, had made the bones visible, Ov. M. 8, 807: articulorum dolores habere, i. e. gouty pains, Cic. Att. 1, 5 fin.; cf. Cels. 5, 18: postquam illi justa cheragra Contudit articulos, Hor. S. 2, 7, 16; cf. Pers. 5, 58: gladiatorem vehementis impetus excipit adversarii mollis articulus, Quint. 2, 12, 2.—Hence, molli articulo tractare aliquem, to touch one gently, softly, Quint. 11, 2, 70.—Of plants: ineunte vere in iis (vitibus), quae relicta sunt, exsistit, tamquam ad articulos sarmentorum, ea quae gemma dicitur, Cic. Sen. 15, 53; Plin. 16, 24, 36, 88: ante quam seges in articulum eat, Col. 2, 11, 9; so Plin. 18, 17, 45, 159. —Of mountains, a hill connecting several larger mountains: montium articuli, Plin. 37, 13, 77, 201.—

B. With an extension of the idea, a limb, member, in gen. (cf. 2. artus), Lucr. 3, 697.—Hence also for a finger, Prop. 2, 34, 80; so Ov. H. 10, 140; id. P. 2, 3, 18: quot manus atteruntur, ut unus niteat articulus! Plin. 2, 63, 63, 158: ab eo missus est articulus manūs, Vulg. Dan. 5, 24: aspiciebat articulos manūs, ib. ib. 5, 5: erexit me super articulos manuum mearum, on the fingers or palms of my hands, ib. ib. 10, 10. —

II. Trop.

A. Of discourse, a member, part, division: articulus dicitur, cum singula verba intervallis distinguuntur caesā oratione, hoc modo: acrimoniā, voce, vultu adversarios perterruisti, Auct. ad Her. 4, 19: continuatio verborum soluta multo est aptior atque jucundior, si est articulis membrisque (ko/mmasi kai\ kw/lois) distincta, quam si continuata ac producta, Cic. de Or. 3, 48, 186: (genus orationis) fluctuans et dissolutum eo quod sine nervis et articulis fluctuat huc et illuc, Auct. ad Her. 4, 11.— Hence, a short clause, Dig. 36, 1, 27; also, a single word, ib. 35, 1, 4: articulus Est praesentis temporis demonstrationem continet, ib. 34, 2, 35: hoc articulo Quisque omnes significantur, ib. 28, 5, 29.—In gram. the pronn. hic and quis, Varr. L. L. 8, 45 Müll.; the article, Quint. 1, 4, 19.—

B. Of time.

1. A point of time, a moment: commoditatis omnes articulos scio, Plaut. Men. 1, 2, 31.—With tempus: qui hunc in summas angustias adductum putaret, ut eum suis conditionibus in ipso articulo temporis astringeret, at the most critical moment, Cic. Quinct. 5, 19: in ipsis quos dixi temporum articulis, Plin. 2, 97, 99, 216: si de singulis articulis temporum deliberabimus, August. ap. Suet. Claud. 4; also without tempus: in ipso articulo, at the fit moment, at the nick of time, Ter. Ad. 2, 2, 21.—With dies: in articulo diei illius ingressus est, on that very day, Vulg. Gen. 7, 13.—And with res: in articulo rerum, Curt. 3, 5; also in articulo, instantly, immediately, = statim, Cod. Just. 1, 33, 3.—Hence with the idea extended,

2. A space, division of time: hi cardines singulis articulis dividuntur, Plin. 18, 25, 59, 222: octo articuli lunae, id. 18, 35, 79, 350: articulus austrinus, i. e. in which auster blows, id. 17, 2, 2, 11.—

C. Of other abstract things, part, division, point: per eosdem articulos (i.e. per easdem honorum partes) et gradus producere, August. ap. Suet. Claud. 4: stationes in mediis latitudinum articulis, quae vocant ecliptica, Plin. 2, 15, 13, 68; Dig. 1, 3, 12: ventum est ergo ad ipsum articulum causae, i. e. ventum ad rei cardinem, the turning-point, Arn. 7, p. 243.