inchoate

[ in-koh-it, -eyt or, esp. British, in-koh-eyt ]

/ ɪnˈkoʊ ɪt, -eɪt or, esp. British, ˈɪn koʊˌeɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR inchoate ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary.

just begun; incipient.

not organized; lacking order: an inchoate mass of ideas on the subject.

Nearby words

inch of mercury, inch plant, inch-pound, incher, inchmeal, inchoate, inchoation, inchoative, inchon, inchworm, incidence

Origin of inchoate

1525–35; < Latin inchoātus, variant of incohātus, past participle of incohāre “to begin, start work on,” perhaps equivalent to in- in-² + coh(um) “hollow of a yoke into which the pole is fitted” + -ātus -ate¹

Related formsin·cho·ate·ly, adverbin·cho·ate·ness, noun

Can be confusedinchoate innate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for inchoate

Their inchoate fury lumped together anger at same-sex marriage, at foreigners and at “the system.”
America’s Ambassadors of Hate|Christopher Dickey|February 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Though blurred, the economic divide was still manifest, although all of them seemed to feel strong, if inchoate, political fervor.
Revolt in the Middle East: Is Jordan Next?|Rebecca Davis O'Brien|January 30, 2011|DAILY BEAST
William Morris is so inchoate that you can't even really describe their culture.
Hollywood's Coming Culture Clash|Kim Masters|March 25, 2009|DAILY BEAST
It may, for anything we know to the contrary, be in this inchoate state amongst them still.
Tradition|John Francis Arundell

A radiant dreamland palace, his play, had risen from the night of inchoate thought.
The House of the Vampire|George Sylvester Viereck
Fig. 80 also illustrates the indefinite and inchoate style of decoration.
The Swastika|Thomas Wilson
With inchoate man such imperfect rule of action had become utterly impossible.
Social Origins and Primal Law|Andrew Lang
With obliterating unconcern, she reduced them to the fluidity of the inchoate.
The Paliser case|Edgar Saltus

British Dictionary definitions for inchoate

inchoate

adjective (ɪnˈkəʊeɪt, -ˈkəʊɪt)

just beginning; incipient

undeveloped; immature; rudimentary

(of a legal document, promissory note, etc) in an uncompleted state; not yet made specific or valid

verb (ɪnˈkəʊeɪt) (tr)

to begin

Derived Formsinchoately, adverbinchoateness, nouninchoation, nouninchoative (ɪnˈkəʊətɪv), adjective

Word Origin for inchoate

C16: from Latin incohāre to make a beginning, literally: to hitch up, from in- ² + cohum yokestrap

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for inchoate

inchoate

adj.

1530s, from Latin inchoatus, past participle of inchoare, alteration of incohare "to begin," originally "to hitch up," from in- "on" (see in- (2)) + cohum "strap fastened to the oxen's yoke." Related: Inchoative.

inchoate

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of inchoate

Examples from the Web for inchoate

British Dictionary definitions for inchoate

inchoate

adjective (ɪnˈkəʊeɪt, -ˈkəʊɪt)

verb (ɪnˈkəʊeɪt) (tr)

Word Origin for inchoate

Word Origin and History for inchoate

inchoate