inchoative
UK /ɪnˈkəʊ.ə.tɪv/ · US /ɪnˈkoʊətɪv/ adjective, noun
Forms inchoatives
- adjective Initial; as yet unformed; inchoate.
- adjective (grammar) Aspectually indicating that a state is about to be entered or is in the process of being entered.
- adjective In Catalan, being a member of a class of third-conjugation verbs (e.g. servir) in which a syllable -eix- (or otherwise depending on dialect), derived from the Latin inchoative but now without meaning, is inserted into certain conjugations (e.g. serveixo).
- noun (grammar) An inchoative construction.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin inchoātīvus, formed by metathesis from incohātīvus, from incohō (“to begin”). Compare French inchoatif.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Expressing or pertaining to a beginning; inceptive; as, an inchoative verb. "Some inchoative or imperfect rays." W. Montagu.
- adjective An inchoative verb. See Inceptive.
Etymology [L. inchoativus, incohativus: cf. F. inchoatif.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “inchoative”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details