inchoate

Advancedzipf 2.06

Pronunciation

/ɪnˈkəʊeɪt/(in-KOH-ayt)

Part of speech

adjectiveformal

Chinese

刚开始的；未成形的

Definition

Just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary.

Word family

  • inchoately/ɪnˈkəʊeɪtli/(adv)初步地

Collocations

  • inchoate ideas
  • inchoate feelings
  • inchoate plan
  • inchoate movement

Examples

  1. 1.The proposal was still inchoate — a rough sketch of ideas rather than a detailed plan. (undeveloped)
  2. 2.She felt an inchoate sense of unease that she couldn't quite articulate. (vague, not yet formed)

Synonyms

  • embryonic/ˌɛmbriˈɒnɪk/— in early stages
  • nascent/ˈnæsənt/— just beginning to develop
  • rudimentary/ˌruːdɪˈmɛntəri/— basic, undeveloped

Etymology

from Latin "inchoatus" — "inchoare" = to begin — in- (on) + cohum (strap of a yoke) — just hitching up the yoke to begin work