inchoate

adj
/ɪnˈkəʊət/UK/ɪnˈkoʊət/US/ɪnˈkəʊeɪt/UK/ɪnˈkoʊeɪt/US

Etymology

The adjective is first attested in 1534, the verb circa 1631; borrowed from Latin incohātus (“begun, unfinished”), perfect passive participle of incohō (“to begin”), see -ate (etymology 1, 2 and 3). Cognate with Spanish incoar (“to initiate, commence, begin”).

  1. borrowed from incohātus

Definitions

  1. Recently started but not fully formed yet

    Recently started but not fully formed yet; just begun; only elementary or immature.

    • neither a substance perfect, nor a substance inchoate
    • It do's indeed perfect and crown thoſe graces which were here inchoate and begun, but no mans converſion ever ſucceeded his being there ...
  2. Chaotic, disordered, confused

    Chaotic, disordered, confused; also, incoherent, rambling.

  3. Of a crime, imposing criminal liability for an incompleted act.

    • Congress considers the inchoate offenses of attempt and conspiracy, even conspiracy without an overt act, to be just as serious as the federal substantive drug offenses which they contemplate.
  4. + 4 more definitions
    1. A beginning, an immature start.

    2. To begin or start (something).

    3. To cause or bring about. In the field of criminology, to encourage, assist, conspire, aid…

      To cause or bring about. In the field of criminology, to encourage, assist, conspire, aid and abet, incite, etc.

    4. To make a start.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for inchoate. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA