Inchoative

//ɪnˈkoʊətɪv// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An inchoative construction.
  2. 2
    aspect with regard to the beginning of the action of the verb wordnet
Adjective
  1. 1
    Initial; as yet unformed; inchoate. not-comparable

    "[T]he day-Star […] ſhall be riſen in our hearts; vvhereof theſe acts of our intellect ſeem to be ſome inchoative or imperfect rays, […]"

  2. 2
    Aspectually indicating that a state is about to be entered or is in the process of being entered. not-comparable

    "The inchoative (inceptive) aspect of a verb expresses the beginning of an action. Example: He is beginning to crawl."

Adjective
  1. 1
    in an initial stage wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
abecedarianaboriginalaspectautochthonousbeginningbudding

Example

More examples

"[T]he day-Star […] ſhall be riſen in our hearts; vvhereof theſe acts of our intellect ſeem to be ſome inchoative or imperfect rays, […]"

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin inchoātīvus, formed by metathesis from incohātīvus, from incohō (“to begin”). Compare French inchoatif.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.