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incipience

incipience

1 9.8
The start of something when it first appears
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈsɪpiəns/
  • Formal
: incipiencia
  • The scientists documented the incipience of a new species as they observed the first signs of its existence.

Examples

  • The contemporary literature of France, notably that of the second half of the twentieth century, has been, since its postwar incipience, largely defined by critical voices whose object remains to distinguish that corpus from all textual antecedents.

    Academic text (2001)
  • The experts discussed the incipience of new technologies in their field during the conference.

  • At the incipience of her career, she faced many challenges that shaped her future success.

Synonyms

incipiency
vsincipience
  • Formal
1 9.9

The state of just beginning to exist or appear

has identical meaning but is a variant noun form in writing

Antonyms

107 2.4

The act of finishing a task or project

96 3.3

A state of being fully grown in body, mind, or feelings

How Developed

maturity
96 3.3
development
789 2.5
emergence
57 4.9
incipience
  • Formal
1 9.8

Surface Forms

incipience singular
incipiences plural

Morphology

incipience = incipient (semi-transparent) = incipient + ence

Formed from the adjective 'incipient' with the noun-forming suffix '-ence'; the relation is formally clear but both items are relatively formal/rare, so it may not be obvious to lower-level learners.

Etymology

Incipience comes from the Latin parts in- ('into') and capere ('to take'), so it paints a picture of 'taking the first step into' something; the same capere root is in capture, which also means to 'take'. That's why incipience means the very beginning or first stage of something.