in·cho·a·tive (?n-k???-t?v)adj.1. Beginning; initial.2. Grammar Of or being a verb or verbal form that designates the beginning of an action, state, or event, such as the Latin verb tum?sc?re, “to begin to swell.”in·cho?a·tive n.in·cho?a·tive·ly adv.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.in?cho?a?tive (?n?ko? ? t?v) adj. 1. inceptive (def. 2). n. 2. an inceptive verb. [1520?30;