inchoative

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɪnˈkəʊ.ə.tɪv/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /ɪnˈkoʊətɪv/

Adjective

inchoative (not comparable)

  1. At the beginning, still in an unformed state.
    • 1648, Walter Montagu, “The One and Twentieth Treatise. Of the Preheminences of a True Contemplative Life. §. I. Contemplation Defined, and Some Excellencies thereof Discoursed.”, in Miscellanea Spiritualia: Or, Devout Essaies, London: […] W[illiam] Lee, D[aniel] Pakeman, and G[abriel] Bedell, […], →OCLC, page 387:
      [T]he day-Star […] ſhall be riſen in our hearts; vvhereof theſe acts of our intellect ſeem to be ſome inchoative or imperfect rays, […]
    • 1858–1865, Thomas Carlyle, History of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Called Frederick the Great, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: Chapman and Hall, […], →OCLC:
      Our first Piece is of Winter, or late Autumn, 1771,—while the solution of the Polish Business is still in its inchoative stages; …
  2. (grammar) Aspectually indicating that a state is about to be entered or is in the process of being entered.
    • 1974, Floyd L. Moreland, Rita M. Fleischer, Latin: An Intensive Course, University of California Press, page 12:
      The inchoative (inceptive) aspect of a verb expresses the beginning of an action. Example: He is beginning to crawl.
  3. (grammar) Inflected in or relating to the inchoative aspect.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Noun

inchoative (plural inchoatives)

  1. (grammar) An inchoative construction.

See also

References

German

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Adjective

inchoative

  1. inflection of inchoativ:
    1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
    2. strong nominative/accusative plural
    3. weak nominative all-gender singular
    4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular
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