Standard Lemma guide

incipient

adj · noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation, US: /ɪnˈsɪp.i.ənt/
  • rhymes with -ɪpiənt
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: insipient
  • CMU ARPABET: IH2 N S IH1 P IY0 AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

In an initial stage; beginning, starting, coming into existence.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • After 500 years, incipient towns appeared.
  • Employees shall be familiarized with the use of a fire extinguisher in incipient stage fire fighting.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A beginner.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A verb tense of the Hebrew language.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

only partly in existence; imperfectly formed

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • incipient civil disorder
  • an incipient tumor
  • a vague inchoate idea

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inchoate

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

26 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: начален (načalen) — beginning, starting
  • Bulgarian: зараждащ се (zaraždašt se) — beginning, starting
  • Catalan: incipient — beginning, starting
  • Chinese Mandarin: 初期的 (chūqí de) — beginning, starting
  • Dutch: beginnend — beginning, starting
  • Finnish: alkava — beginning, starting
  • Finnish: orastava — beginning, starting
  • French: incipient — beginning, starting
  • French: commençant — beginning, starting
  • French: naissant — beginning, starting
  • German: einsetzend — beginning, starting
  • Japanese: 初期の (shoki no) — beginning, starting
  • Kazakh: алғашқы (alğaşqy) — beginning, starting
  • Latin: incipiēns — beginning, starting
  • Polish: początkowy — beginning, starting
  • Portuguese: incipiente — beginning, starting
  • Russian: начина́ющийся (načinájuščijsja) — beginning, starting
  • Russian: появля́ющийся (pojavljájuščijsja) — beginning, starting
  • Russian: зарожда́ющийся (zaroždájuščijsja) — beginning, starting
  • Russian: нача́льный (načálʹnyj) — beginning, starting
  • Slovak: prvotný — beginning, starting
  • Slovak: počiatočný — beginning, starting
  • Spanish: incipiente — beginning, starting
  • Turkish: başlangıç aşamasında — beginning, starting
  • Turkish: halinde — beginning, starting
  • Turkish: başlayan — beginning, starting