inchoate
UK[ɪnˈkəʊ.eɪt]US[ɪnˈkoʊ.eɪt]
adj
just begun and not fully formed or developed; rudimentary.
adj
in an initial or early stage; incipient.
Morpheme Breakdown
in
choate
in
in, into, on
choate
to begin, to start work on
Etymology
the word 'inchoate' originates from the latin verb 'inchoare', a variant of 'incohare', which meant 'to begin, to start work on'. this verb itself is thought to be derived from 'in-' (in, on) combined with 'cohum', a term for the strap fastening a plow to a yoke, metaphorically evoking the idea of hitching up to begin a task. the english adjective, borrowed directly from latin, originally carried the sense of 'just begun'. over time, its meaning specialized to emphasize the incomplete, unformed, or rudimentary nature of something in its earliest stages, moving from the simple act of beginning to a description of the nascent state itself.
Analysis
Structure: in + choate
in- (latin, a prefix meaning 'in, into, on'); choate (latin, from the verb 'inchoare', meaning 'to begin, to start work on').
Examples
the proposal was still in an inchoate form, lacking concrete details.
she had only an inchoate understanding of the complex theory.
his inchoate ideas would later develop into a brilliant novel.