inchoation
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of inchoation
First recorded in 1520–30, inchoation is from the Late Latin word inchoātiōn- (stem of inchoātiō ). See inchoate, -ion
Explanation
An inchoation is the very first spark or earliest stage of something. A seedling is an inchoation of a tree: It's a start, but it's not yet a tree. The word inchoation is in the same family as inchoate, which describes something that is only partly in existence, as of yet imperfectly formed, such as the spark of an idea. Similarly, saying that something is an inchoation implies that there is more to come, like a rough sketch of a masterpiece. In legal terms, an inchoation is the point in time when some act begins, such as early ideas or discussions of committing a crime: The crime hasn't happened yet, but it's being planned.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sir, I Amend to no purpose, nor have any use of this inchoation of health, which I finde, except I preserve my roome, and station in you.
From Letters to Severall Persons of Honour by Donne, John
Where occasionally I refer to the surreptitious edition, the mere inchoation of the drama, I call it, as it is, the 1st Quarto.
From The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark A Study with the Text of the Folio of 1623 by MacDonald, George
If to reach to the perfection required by its independent existence it needs development, every step in that journey is an inchoation of the next, and cannot exist but as such.
From The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6 A Monthly Eclectic Magazine by Rameur, E.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
