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/
• (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, volumes (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.

Related terms

• inchoate

Translations

at the beginning

• Dutch: inchoatief (nl)
• Finnish: aloitteleva (fi), alku- (fi)
• German: inchoativ (de)
• Latin: inchoativus
• Spanish: incoativo (es)

grammar: aspectually indicating that an action is to begin

• Dutch: inchoatief (nl)
• Finnish: inkoatiivinen (fi)
• Greek: αρκτικός (el) m (arktikós), εναρκτικός (enarktikós)
• Hungarian: inchoatív
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: inkoativ (no)

• Spanish: incoativo (es)

related to the inchoative aspect

• Dutch: inchoatief (nl)
• Finnish: inkoatiivinen (fi)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: inkoativ (no)

• Spanish: incoativo (es)

See also

• inceptive

Noun

inchoative (plural inchoatives)

1. (grammar) An inchoative construction.

See also

• emerging
• prospective

References

• inchoative aspect on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “inchoative”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “inchoative”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

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