1. Plural of inchoative; verbs or verb forms that express the beginning or inception of an action or state.
Usage: linguistics term; common in grammar and language study

1. Relating to or denoting verbs that express the beginning of an action or the entering into a state.
Usage: linguistics term; used to describe grammatical properties

Examples

• In linguistics, inchoatives are verbs that show the start of an action, such as 'begin' or 'start'.
• The verb 'fall asleep' is an inchoative because it marks the beginning of sleep.
• Many languages use inchoative forms to distinguish between starting an action and continuing it.
• The inchoatives in this sentence indicate when the process began rather than its duration.
• Linguists study inchoatives to understand how languages express aspect and temporal meaning.
• The prefix 'en-' often creates inchoatives, as in 'enlarge' (to begin to be large).