MEANING
The point at which an organization, project, agreement, or other undertaking begins.
Use it for
identifying when a policy or project began; distinguishing original aims from later changes; delimiting a study period from a programme’s beginningNames the starting point of an institution, project, or process, making its subsequent development easier to delimit. Writing functions: Change / Pattern / Trend, Significance / Scope.
Words that belong together
- since its inception
- from inception to completion
- at the inception of the project
On the page
The programme has changed its eligibility rules twice since its inception.
At its inception, the archive collected private letters rather than official records.
Word forms
- Base
- inception
Usage notes
Usually uncountable or singular: inception; count plural inceptions is possible for distinct beginnings but uncommon. Patterns: at its inception, since inception, from inception. Register: formal. Commonness: moderately common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
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