Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To take in; seize.
  • To commence or begin; specifically, in old universities, to become a qualified candidate for the degree of master of arts; originally, to begin teaching under the license of a university.
  • An abbreviation of inceptive.
  • Specifically, in biology, to take in (nutriment): said of organisms or cells.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To take in or ingest
  • verb To begin

Etymologies

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Examples

  • He was the first who addressed letters with the incept, from A. to

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan foregathered with the Princesses, he related to his sister all that he had endured and said to her, “Never will I forget what thou hast done for me from incept to conclusion.”

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • When he alighted from his beast they accosted him and enquired the cause of his change from poverty to prosperity, and he told them all that had happened to him from incept to conclusion.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • Moreover, he related to her the adventure of the cap and the rod and how Abd al-Kaddus and Abu al-Ruwaysh had asked for them and he had not agreed to give them to the twain save for her sake; wherefore she thanked him and blessed him wishing him long life; and he cried, “By Allah, I shall never forget all the kindness thou hast done me from incept to conclusion.” —

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • The editing--concerning punctuation, grammar, standard style, etc.--of The Times is appallingly incept.

    In the beginning 2006

  • Theology -- had to undergo the same experiences as were prescribed for the faculty of Arts; that is to say, they had to respond, to dispute, to determine, and to incept.

    The Customs of Old England

  • He was then presented to the Chancellor and Proctors in congregation, and, with hand laid upon the Bible, swore, in a kneeling posture, that he would keep the statutes, would actually incept -- we shall see what this means presently -- within a year, that he would not spend more at his inception than the sum allowed, that he would neither lecture nor hear lectures at

    The Customs of Old England

  • Security was therefore demanded from the licentiate that he would incept within a year; and, if he omitted to do so, he was fined.

    The Customs of Old England

  • The Chancellor's licence authorized the candidate to incept, to read (lecture), to dispute, and to do all that belonged to the rank of master as soon as he had taken the necessary steps for the purpose.

    The Customs of Old England

  • Under such conditions success in the coming battle was almost impossible, but he wasted no time in complaints or excuses, but instantly began to move his forces northward to incept the line of Lee's advance.

    On the Trail of Grant and Lee Frederick Trevor Hill 1898

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