inchoate

Imperfect; partial; unfinished; begun, but not completed; as in a contract not executed by all the parties.

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inchoate adj. or adv. referring to something which has begun but has not been completed, either an activity or some object which is incomplete. It may define a potential crime like a conspiracy which has been started but not perfected or finished, (buying the explosives, but not yet blowing up the bank safe), a right contingent on an event (receiving property if one outlives the grantor of the property), or a decision or idea which has been only partially considered, such as a contract which has not been formalized.

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inchoate adjective anticipatory, basic, beginning, budding, commencing, developing, early, elemental, embryonic, fragmentary, fundamental, half-done, hardly begun, immature, imperfect, in its infancy, inaugural, inceptive, incipient, infant, infant stage, initial, initiatory, introductory, just begun, maiden, nascent, newborn, not completely formed, not fully executed, not fully formed, original, out of order, partial, prefatory, preliminary, preparatory, primal, primary, prime, primeval, primitive, primordial, rudimental, semiprocessed, sketchy, starting, uncompleted, undeveloped, unfinalized, unfinished
Associated concepts: attempt, conspiracy and solicitation, inchoate contract, inchoate crimes, inchoate gift, inchoate interest, inchoate lien, inchoate right, inchoate title, innhoate will

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See also: conceive, establish, incipient, initial, initiate, invent, launch, original, premature, rudimentary

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INCHOATE. That which is not yet completed or finished. Contracts are considered inchoate until they are executed by all the parties who ought to have executed them. For example, a covenant which purports to be tripartite, and is executed by only two of the parties, is incomplete, and no one is bound by it. 2 Halst. 142. Vide Locus paenitentiae.