inchoative
/ɪnˈkoʊətɪv/
adjective
- Relating to or denoting a beginning or an early stage; in an initial or incipient state.
- His inchoative interest in music later turned into a professional career.
- The inchoative phase of the research involved gathering basic data.
- The company is in an inchoative stage, still testing its first product.
noun
- A verb or verb form that indicates the beginning of an action or process (e.g., 'get' in 'get going' or 'start' in 'start running').
- In English, 'fall asleep' is an inchoative because it describes the beginning of sleeping.
- Linguists classify 'get' as an inchoative when it means 'begin to be,' as in 'get sick.'
- The teacher explained that 'become' is often used as an inchoative verb.