You searched for: “inchoate
inchoate (in KOH it) (adjective), more inchoate, most inchoate
1. Pertaining to something just beginning to develop: Jackie had this inchoate idea of going to France as an exchange student, and when she got more information regarding this and told her parents about her idea, they thought it would be possible!
2. Regarding something which is only partly or imperfectly formed or developed; partly in existence: Sally had to write a term paper and she had an inchoate outline, which she showed to her teacher first, before beginning to think about it seriously and expanding on it.
3. Concerning something which lacks structure, order, or organization: During the writing process of an inchoate character in a novel, the narrative flounders, or breaks down.
4. Etymology: from Latin inchoatus, inchoare, alteration of incohare, "to begin"; originally "to hitch up".

Inchoate is believed to have been borrowed directly from Late Latin inchoationem, nominative inchoatio, from Latin inchoare, and incorrectly altered from incohare, "to begin, to start out".

It originally referred to "hitch up" (a wagon or plough); from in-, "on" + cohum, "strap by which a shaft or plough was fastened to the oxen's yoke".

—Based on information from The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology;
Robert K. Barnhart, Editor; The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988, page 518.
A reference to something that is existing in an early stage of development.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Relating to the beginning of a process.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Descriptive of something that is imperfectly developed and incomplete.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

This entry is located in the following unit: her-, hes- (page 2)
incoherent, inchoate
incoherent (in" koh HIR uhnt) (adjective)
Referring to the lack of orderly thought or relevance; not logically connected; disjointed; rambling; lacking orderly continuity: Dina was so upset by the accident that her speech was incoherent and nobody could understand her.
inchoate (in KOH it) (adjective)
Concerning the initial rudimentary formulation of something; just begun; in the early stage; not yet clearly or completely formed or organized; imperfectly developed; such as, an idea: Harry's inchoate approach regarding the new theory intrigued his students.

Henry's initial inchoate speech sounded a bit incoherent; so, obviously he needs to do a lot of reworking of his presentation.