inceptus

Forms

inceptus m (genitive inceptūs); fourth declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin incipiō + -tus, an action noun from the verb meaning “to begin”.^[2][3] incipiō is formed from in-¹ and capiō (“to take”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Livy (59 BC–17 AD) has it in the preface to his history, of things foedum inceptu, foedum exitu, “shameful in the beginning, shameful in the outcome”.^[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The noun is rare.^[3] It meant the act of beginning or undertaking something, hence an attempt or effort;^[2] after Livy it is found in Seneca's letters and in Valerius Flaccus.^[3]

Timeline

• 59 BC–17 AD – Livy uses it in the preface to his history.^[3][4]
• 4 BC–65 AD – Seneca uses it in his letters.^[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of beginning or undertaking.^[2][3][1]
2. An attempt, effort; an undertaking.^[2][3]

Usage notes

The same form is also the perfect passive participle of incipiō, inceptus, -a, -um, “begun”.^[3][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson