Friday, July 30, 2010

Word of the Day 7/30/2010

Inchoate (adjective): being only partly in existence or operation; especially : imperfectly formed or formulated

Example Sentence: Kate had an inchoate suspicion that things were about to go wrong, but she was unable to think of any concrete reason for her concern.

Did you know?: "Inchoate" derives from "inchoare," which means "to begin" in Latin but translates literally as "to hitch up." "Inchoare" was formed from the prefix "in-" and the noun "cohum," which refers to the strap that secures a plow beam to a pulling animal's yoke. The concept of implementing this initial step toward the larger task of plowing a field can help provide a clearer understanding of "inchoate," an adjective used to describe the imperfect form of something (as a plan or idea) in its early stages of development. Perhaps because it looks a little like the word "chaos" (although the two aren't closely related), "inchoate" now not only implies the formlessness that often marks beginnings, but also the confusion caused by chaos.

Merriam-Webster Word of the Day

(25% done!)

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