different between inchoate vs inchoative

English

Etymology

From Latin incoh?tus (“begun, unfinished”), perfect passive participle of incoh? (“begin”). Cognate with Spanish incoar (“to initiate, commence, begin”).

Pronunciation

Noun, adjective:

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n?k???t/, /?n?k??e?t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?n?ko??t/, /?n?ko?e?t/

Verb:

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n?k??e?t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?n?ko?e?t/

Adjective

inchoate (comparative more inchoate, superlative most inchoate)

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

   Synonyms: elementary, immature, embryonic, incipient, nascent, rudimentary

   • 1614, Walter Raleigh, The History of the World

     neither a substance perfect, nor a substance inchoate

   • 1677, Richard Allestree, The Art of Contentment, p. 187

     It do's indeed perfect and crown tho?e graces which were here inchoate and begun, but no mans conver?ion ever ?ucceeded his being there ...

   • 1803, Supreme Court of the United States, Marbury v. Madison

     This appointment is evidenced by an open, unequivocal act, and, being the last act required from the person making it, necessarily excludes the idea of its being, so far as it respects the appointment, an inchoate and incomplete transaction.

   • 1839, Cherokee Constitution

     It being determined that a constitution should be made for the inchoate government, men were selected by its sponsors, from those at the Illinois Camp Ground, including as many western Cherokees as could be induced to sign it.

   • 1885, Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, On the Death of General Gordon

     ...unfortunately, we have to face inchoate schemes which will demand the utmost jealousy and vigilance of Parliament.

   • 1889, Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osborne, The Wrong Box, chapter 6

     The private conception of any breach of law is apt to be inspiriting, for the scheme (while yet inchoate) wears dashing and attractive colours.

   • 1919, H. P. Lovecraft, The Doom That Came to Sarnath

     Very odd and ugly were these beings, as indeed are most beings of a world yet inchoate and rudely fashioned.

   • 1928, Hermann Hesse, Steppenwolf

     How inutterably sad was the look this fluid inchoate figure of the wolf threw from his beautiful shy eyes.

   • 2004, David Hajdu, "Folk Hero", The New Yorker, 29 March 2004

     Guthrie’s inchoate socialist leanings grew into a deep commitment to the labor movement.

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

   Synonyms: chaotic, confused

3. (law) Of a crime, imposing criminal liability for an incompleted act.
   • 2006, United States v. McKenney, 450 F.3d 39 (1st Cir. 2006)

     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.

Translations

Noun

inchoate (plural inchoates)

1. (rare) A beginning, an immature start.

Verb

inchoate (third-person singular simple present inchoates, present participle inchoating, simple past and past participle inchoated)

1. (transitive) To begin or start (something).
2. (transitive) To cause or bring about.
3. (intransitive) To make a start.

Related terms

• choate (back-formation)
• inchoated
• inchoatedness
• inchoation
• inchoactive

Anagrams

• Noachite, choanite, ethanoic, thiocane

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /in.k?o?a?.te/, [??k?o?ä?t??]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /in.ko?a.te/, [i?k????t??]

Verb

incho?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of incho?

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin incho?t?vus, formed by metathesis from incoh?t?vus, from incoh? (“to begin”). Compare French inchoatif.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?n?k??.?.t?v/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?n?ko??t?v/

Adjective

inchoative (not comparable)

1. At the beginning, still in an unformed state.
   • W. Montagu

     Some inchoative or imperfect rays.

   • 1858, Thomas Carlyle, History Of Friedrich II Of Prussia

     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.
3. (grammar) Inflected in or relating to the inchoative aspect.

Related terms

• inchoate

Translations

Noun

inchoative (plural inchoatives)

1. (grammar) An inchoative construction.

See also

• emerging
• prospective

References

• inchoative aspect on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• inchoative at OneLook Dictionary Search
• inchoative in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

German

Pronunciation

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