Neither a substance perfect, nor a substance inchoate. --Raleigh. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
inchoate — in·cho·ate /in kō ət, iŋ kō ˌāt/ adj 1 a: not yet made complete, certain, or specific: not perfected see also inchoate lien at lien b: not yet transformed into actual use or possession until an emplo … Law dictionary
inchoate — means ‘undeveloped’ or ‘just begun’ and is derived from the Latin word choare ‘to begin’: • It was obviously necessary that we should continue our still inchoate discussion over a drink D. M. Davin, 1975 • She is not allowed to express her real,… … Modern English usage
Inchoate — In cho*ate, v. t. To begin. [Obs.] Dr. H. More. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
inchoate — (adj.) 1530s, from L. inchoatus, pp. of inchoare, alteration of incohare to begin, originally to hitch up, from in on (see IN (Cf. in ) (2)) + cohum strap fastened to the oxen s yoke. Related: Inchoative … Etymology dictionary
inchoate — [adj] undeveloped, beginning amorphous, elementary, embryonic, formless, immature, imperfect, inceptive, incipient, just begun, nascent, preliminary, rudimentary, shapeless, unfinished, unformed, unshaped; concepts 485,578,797 Ant. developed,… … New thesaurus
inchoate — ► ADJECTIVE 1) not fully formed or developed; rudimentary. 2) confused or incoherent. DERIVATIVES inchoately adverb. ORIGIN from Latin inchoare, variant of incohare begin … English terms dictionary
inchoate — [in kō′it, in kō′āt΄] adj. [L inchoatus, incohatus, pp. of inchoare, incohare, to begin, orig. rural term “hitch up, harness” < in , in + cohum, the strap from plow beam to yoke < IE base * kagh , to hold, enclose > HEDGE] 1. just begun; … English World dictionary
Inchoate — A state of activity or entitlement that is characterized by partial completion of an intended outcome or status. The notion of inchoate comes into play most often in a legal sense, as it could refer to an inchoate transaction between two parties … Investment dictionary
inchoate — [[t]ɪnko͟ʊɪt[/t]] ADJ If something is inchoate, it is recent or new, and vague or not yet properly developed. [FORMAL] His dreams were senseless and inchoate. ...the inchoate mood of dissatisfaction with all politicians. Syn: incoherent … English dictionary
inchoate — Probably because of the similarity in spelling to chaotic and in pronunciation to incoherent, people sometimes take the word to mean disorderly or disorganized. In fact it means incipient, undeveloped, just starting. An inchoate enterprise is… … Dictionary of troublesome word
