inchoate

adjective

in·cho·ate in-ˈkō-ət How to pronounce inchoate (audio)

ˈin-kə-ˌwāt

: being only partly in existence or operation : incipient

especially : imperfectly formed or formulated : formless, incoherent

misty, inchoate suspicions that all is not well with the nation

J. M. Perry

inchoately adverb

inchoateness noun

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When Should You Use inchoate?

Inchoate comes from inchoare, which means "to start work on" in Latin but translates literally as "to hitch up" (inchoare combines the prefix in- with the Latin noun cohum, which refers to the strap that secures a plow beam to a draft animal's yoke). The concept of this initial step toward the larger task of plowing a field explains how inchoate came to describe something (as a plan or idea) in its early, not fully formed, stages of development.

Example Sentences

inchoate feelings of affection for a man whom she had, up till now, thought of as only a friend

Recent Examples on the Web The rage of men whose grievances are inchoate and inexhaustible found expression in a 58-year-old movie star’s humiliation of his 36-year-old former wife.

New York Times, 2 June 2022 The ground beneath their inchoate relationship shifts from scene to scene.

Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022 Prepper Camp was a castle built on emotion: fear of the inchoate other was so great that the survivalists felt justified in being prepared to kill other humans to protect their material goods.

Krista Stevens, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 Prepper Camp was a castle built on emotion: fear of the inchoate other was so great that the survivalists felt justified in being prepared to kill other humans to protect their material goods.

Krista Stevens, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 As presented here, the links between the two are both vivid and inchoate; concrete and fuzzy; real and imagined.

Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 July 2022 Prepper Camp was a castle built on emotion: fear of the inchoate other was so great that the survivalists felt justified in being prepared to kill other humans to protect their material goods.

Krista Stevens, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 That reflects the inchoate nature of this rebellion, according to analysts.

New York Times, 7 June 2022 And Trump, beyond his bellicose and inchoate trade war against China, largely ignored the region, save for a couple of fancy dinners with Kim Jong Un.

Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2022 See More

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin incohātus, inchoātus "only begun, unfinished, imperfect," from past participle of incohāre "to start work on, begin, initiate," perhaps, if the original sense was "to yoke a plow to a team of oxen," from in- in- entry 2 + -cohāre, verbal derivative of cohum "hollow in the middle of a yoke into which a pole is fitted" or "strap used to attach the pole to the yoke," of uncertain origin

Note: The word cohum is known only from the work of the grammarians varro and Sextus Pompeius Festus, and their definitions may have been influenced by the presumed etymologies. Varro, who took the word to mean "hollow in the middle of a yoke" ("sub jugo medio cavum"), may have associated it with cavum "cavity, hole," which he uses as the genus term. Festus, who defines it as a strap or thong (lorum), associates it with cohibēre "to hold together, keep in place." If these meanings are correct, cohum may be linked to a putative western Indo-European verbal base *kag^h- "grasp, enclose" (see the note at haw entry 1), with an o of secondary origin. But given the lack of textual evidence for cohum, any etymology must remain speculative.

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

inchoate

adjective

in·cho·ate in-ˈkō-ət, ˈiŋ-kō-ˌāt How to pronounce inchoate (audio)

: not yet made complete, certain, or specific : not perfected see also inchoate lien at lien

: not yet transformed into actual use or possession

until an employee has earned his retirement pay…[it] is but an inchoate right

Peterson v. Fire & Police Pension Ass'n, 759 P.2d 720 (1988)

: of or relating to a crime (as attempt, solicitation, or conspiracy) which consists of acts that are preliminary to another crime and that are in themselves criminal compare choate

单词	inchoate
释义	inchoate adjective in·cho·ate in-ˈkō-ət ˈin-kə-ˌwāt : being only partly in existence or operation : incipient especially : imperfectly formed or formulated : formless, incoherent misty, inchoate suspicions that all is not well with the nation J. M. Perry inchoately adverb inchoateness noun Did you know? When Should You Use inchoate? Inchoate comes from inchoare, which means "to start work on" in Latin but translates literally as "to hitch up" (inchoare combines the prefix in- with the Latin noun cohum, which refers to the strap that secures a plow beam to a draft animal's yoke). The concept of this initial step toward the larger task of plowing a field explains how inchoate came to describe something (as a plan or idea) in its early, not fully formed, stages of development. Synonyms aborning budding inceptive incipient nascent See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences inchoate feelings of affection for a man whom she had, up till now, thought of as only a friend Recent Examples on the Web The rage of men whose grievances are inchoate and inexhaustible found expression in a 58-year-old movie star’s humiliation of his 36-year-old former wife. New York Times, 2 June 2022 The ground beneath their inchoate relationship shifts from scene to scene. Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022 Prepper Camp was a castle built on emotion: fear of the inchoate other was so great that the survivalists felt justified in being prepared to kill other humans to protect their material goods. Krista Stevens, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 Prepper Camp was a castle built on emotion: fear of the inchoate other was so great that the survivalists felt justified in being prepared to kill other humans to protect their material goods. Krista Stevens, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 As presented here, the links between the two are both vivid and inchoate; concrete and fuzzy; real and imagined. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 17 July 2022 Prepper Camp was a castle built on emotion: fear of the inchoate other was so great that the survivalists felt justified in being prepared to kill other humans to protect their material goods. Krista Stevens, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 That reflects the inchoate nature of this rebellion, according to analysts. New York Times, 7 June 2022 And Trump, beyond his bellicose and inchoate trade war against China, largely ignored the region, save for a couple of fancy dinners with Kim Jong Un. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 24 May 2022 See More Word History Etymology borrowed from Latin incohātus, inchoātus "only begun, unfinished, imperfect," from past participle of incohāre "to start work on, begin, initiate," perhaps, if the original sense was "to yoke a plow to a team of oxen," from in- in- entry 2 + -cohāre, verbal derivative of cohum "hollow in the middle of a yoke into which a pole is fitted" or "strap used to attach the pole to the yoke," of uncertain origin Note: The word cohum is known only from the work of the grammarians varro and Sextus Pompeius Festus, and their definitions may have been influenced by the presumed etymologies. Varro, who took the word to mean "hollow in the middle of a yoke" ("sub jugo medio cavum"), may have associated it with cavum "cavity, hole," which he uses as the genus term. Festus, who defines it as a strap or thong (lorum), associates it with cohibēre "to hold together, keep in place." If these meanings are correct, cohum may be linked to a putative western Indo-European verbal base kag^h- "grasp, enclose" (see the note at haw entry 1), with an o of secondary origin. But given the lack of textual evidence for cohum,* any etymology must remain speculative. First Known Use 1534, in the meaning defined above Legal Definition inchoate adjective in·cho·ate in-ˈkō-ət, ˈiŋ-kō-ˌāt 1 a : not yet made complete, certain, or specific : not perfected see also inchoate lien at lien b : not yet transformed into actual use or possession until an employee has earned his retirement pay…[it] is but an inchoate right Peterson v. Fire & Police Pension Ass'n, 759 P.2d 720 (1988) 2 : of or relating to a crime (as attempt, solicitation, or conspiracy) which consists of acts that are preliminary to another crime and that are in themselves criminal compare choate inchoate adjective as in nascent beginning to come into existence inchoate feelings of affection for a man whom she had, up till now, thought of as only a friend Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance nascent initial incipient first elementary inceptive budding original embryonic formative formless fundamental incoherent aborning inchoative rudimentary introductory preliminary inaugural preparatory primitive crude rude Antonyms & Near Antonyms ripe ripened mature adult full-blown higher full-fledged evolved advanced high developed refined improved See More
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inchoate

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Legal Definition

adjective

adjective