Incipiency

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈsɪpɪənsi/

Definitions

1. The phase marked by the early development or birth of an idea or process
2. The condition of being at the very start of development or growth
3. The phase when something is just forming and beginning to take shape

Etymology: Incipiency comes from "incipient," which is itself built from the Latin verb "incipere," meaning "to begin," formed from "in-" plus "capere," "to take." The Latin root gives English a whole family of beginning-words, including "incipit," the opening words of a medieval manuscript, which is still used to name texts today. The English noun "incipiency" is a formal derivation: the adjective "incipient" was adopted first, and the noun was then formed from it with the suffix "-ency," which turns adjectives into nouns of state or condition. So "incipiency" names the condition of being at the very start of something, rather than a process or an event itself. The word belongs to the same formal register as its relatives "inception" and "incipient." Its meaning stays close to its Latin source, so there is no dramatic shift to report, only a steady sense of "beginning" narrowed to the earliest stage.

Synonyms: beginning, initiation, commencement

Antonyms: completion, conclusion