inchoative
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin inchoātīvus, formed by metathesis from incohātīvus, from incohō (“to begin”). Compare French inchoatif.
Pronunciation
Adjective
inchoative (not comparable)
- 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 Lee, D Pakeman, and G Bedell, , →OCLC, page 387:
- 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; …
- (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.
- (grammar) Inflected in or relating to the inchoative aspect.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
at the beginning
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grammar: aspectually indicating that an action is to begin
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See also
Noun
inchoative (plural inchoatives)
- (grammar) An inchoative construction.
See also
References
inchoative aspect on Wikipedia.Wikipedia - “inchoative”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E Smith, editors (1911), “inchoative”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
German
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Adjective
inchoative
- inflection of inchoativ: