incipient

[in-sip-ee-uhnt]

adjective

1. beginning to exist or appear; in an initial stage.

   an incipient cold.

   Synonyms: developing, nascent, beginning

incipient

/ ɪnˈsɪpɪənt /

adjective

1. just starting to be or happen; beginning

Other Word Forms

• incipiently adverb
• incipience noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of incipient¹

1580–90; < Latin incipient- (stem of incipiēns, present participle of incipere to take in hand, begin), equivalent to in- in- ² + -cipi- (combining form of capi- take) + -ent- -ent

Word History and Origins

Origin of incipient¹

C17: from Latin incipiēns, from incipere to begin, take in hand, from _in- ² + capere to take

Example Sentences

“Erasing” De Kooning would get the incipient powerhouse out of the way, artistically speaking.

From Los Angeles Times

As fine arts funding withers across sectors and Hollywood budgets shrink while studios retreat from local productions, workers are still recovering from lengthy strikes and the incipient threat of artificial intelligence.

From Los Angeles Times

We see the pent-up worry on her face signaling incipient danger: Helicopters roam the city while news of kidnapped ambassadors pours from the radio.

From Los Angeles Times

And examining the death of this era of celebrity — which in my estimation has been about 50 years, from incipient to unraveling — is a way to mourn it openly, so it’s forced to finish dying.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps it was Babitz’s lack of self-discipline, or her excessive drug use, or the incipient onset of Huntington’s disease, which would eventually take her life.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• embryonic 
• nascent