US /ˌɪnˈsɪpiːənt/ UK /ɪnˈsɪp.i.ənt/
adj noun Freq #75978

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    Just beginning to exist or develop; in an early stage.

    Doctors caught the incipient illness before it could spread.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · just beginning to exist or... beginningemergingnascentstarting
Word family
Forms incipiently
Related forms inceptionincipienceincipiencyincipientlyincipit

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin incipiēns, present participle of incipiō (“begin”).

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Topics

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