Inchoative verb

Inchoative verb

An inchoative verb, sometimes called an "inceptive" verb, shows a process of beginning or becoming. Productive inchoative infixes exist in several languages, including Latin and Ancient Greek, and consequently some Romance languages. Not all verbs with inchoative infixes have retained their inceptive meaning. In Italian, for example, present indicative "finisco" 'I finish' contains the form of the infix, while present indicative "finiamo" 'we finish' does not, yet the only difference in meaning is that of person subject; the infix is now semantically inert.

Latin

The Latin language uses the infix -sc- to show inchoative force. The infix is normally seen in the present tense stem, and is not present in the third and fourth principal parts.
*"apiscor, apisci, aptus sum" reach
*"cresco, crescere, crevi, cretus" come into being, spring up, grow up
*"convalesco, convalescere, convalui" recover, get better, grow strong
*"disco, discere, didici" learn
*"irascor, irasci, iratus sum" be in a rage
*"lapidesco, lapidescere" become stone
*"misceo, miscere, miscui, mixtus" mix
*"nanciscor, nancisci, nactus/nanctus sum" get
*"nosco, noscere, novi, notus" get to know
*"obdormisco, obdormiscere, obdormivi, obdormitus" fall asleep
*"posco, poscere, poposci" demand
*"proficiscor, proficisci, profectus sum" set out
*"rubesco, rubescere, rubui" (Ancient Greek

Greek also uses -sk- to show inchoative force in the present stem. -σκ- is added to verb-stems ending in vowels, --ισκ- is added to consonant stems.
*αρεσκω to please
*φασκω to feed

ee also

*Frequentative
*Inchoative


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  • inchoative — /in koh euh tiv/, Gram. adj. 1. inceptive. n. 2. an inceptive. [1520 30; < LL inchoativum (verbum) inceptive (verb). See INCHOATE, IVE] * * * …   Universalium

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