Incensive 
incensivet (in-sen'siv), . [= OF. incensif = 
It. incensivo, < L. as if 'incensivus, < incendere, 
pp. incensus, set on fire: see incense 1 .] Tend- 
ing to inflame or excite ; inflammatory. 
To be extremely .hated and inhumanely persecuted, 
without any fault committed or just occasion offered, is 
greatly incentive of humane passion. 
Burrow, Works, III. x. 
incensort (in-sen'sor), n. [= P. encenseur = 
Sp. incensor, < LL. "invensor, an ineiter, instiga- 
tor, < L. incendere, kindle, incite : see incense*.'} 
Same as ineenser. 
Many priests were impetuous and importunate incen- 
tors of the rage. Sir J. Ua.ywa.ri,. 
incensorium (in-sen-so'ri-um), n. ; pi. incerwo- 
ria (-a). [ML. : see incensory, censer* .] A cen- 
ser. See thurible. 
incensoryt (in'sen-so-ri), n. [< ML. incensori- 
um, a censer, < LL. incensum, incense : see in- 
cense 2 and censer 1 , nit. < ML. incensorium.'] The 
vessel in which incense is burned ; a censer. 
A cup of gold, crown'd with red wine, he held 
On th' holy incensory pour'd. 
Chapman, Iliad, xl. 686. 
Other Saints lie here, decorated with splendid orna- 
ments, lamps, and incensories of greate cost. 
Evelyn, Diary, Feb. 14, 1646. 
incensurable (in-sen'shgr-a-bl), a. [= Sp. in- 
censurable = Pg. incensuravel ; as - 3 + cen- 
surable.] Not censurable ; uncensurable. 
incensurably (in-sen'shor-a-bli), adv. So as 
not to deserve censure ; uncensurably. 
incentive (in-sen'tiv), a. and n. [I. a. = Pg. 
incentive, < L. incentivus, that strikes up or sets 
the tune, LL. serving to incite, < incinere, j>p. 
incentus, sound (an instrument), sing, < in, in, 
on, + canere, sing : see chant. II. n. = Sp. Pg. 
It. incentive, < LL. incentivum, an incentive, 
neut. of incentivus, serving to incite: see I. 
Sometimes used as if connected with inoen- 
sive and incense 1 .'] I. a. 1. Inciting; encourag- 
ing. 
Competency is the most incentive to industry. 
Decay of Christian Piety. 
2f. Setting fire ; igniting ; firing ; incendiary. 
Part incentive reed 
Provide, pernicious with one touch to flre. 
Milton, P. L., vL 619. 
Whilst the cavern'd ground, 
With grain incentive stor'd, by sudden blaze 
Bursts fatal, and involves the hopes of war, 
In fiery whirls. J. Philips, Cider, i. 
II. n. That which moves the mind or stirs 
the passions; that which incites or tends to 
incite to action; motive; spur: as, pride is a 
powerful incentive. 
Love seems to be the appetite, or incentive, of the primi- 
tive matter. Bacon, Physical Fables, viii., Expl. 
Every great life is an incentive to all other lives. 
G. W. Curtis, Prue and I, p. 186. 
Incentives come from the soul's self. 
Browning, Andrea del Sarto. 
=Syn. Impulse, etc. (see motive), stimulus, incitement* 
encouragement, goad. 
incentively (in-sen'tiv-li), adv. In an incen- 
tive or inciting manner; as an incentive. 
incentort, [An irreg. form of incensor.'] 
Same as incendiary. 
incentret (in-sen'ter), v. [< fn-2 + center!.] 
To center. 
Nor is your love incentred to me only In your own breast, 
but full of operation. Bp. Hactet, Abp. Williams, i. 135. 
incept (in-sepf), v. [= OF. incepter, begin, < 
L. inceptus, pp. of incipere, begin, lit. take in, 
take up (not used in the lit. sense), < in, in, on, 
+ capere, take: see capable, etc.] I. trans. 
To take in ; seize. [Rare.] 
Which will carry such incepted matters along with them 
in their slow movements from place to place. 
E. A. Scha/er, Proc. Roy. Soc., XXXVIIL 88. 
II. intrans. To commence or begin; specifi- 
cally, in old universities, to become a qualified 
candidate for the degree of master of arts ; ori- 
ginally, to begin teaching under the license of 
a university. 
The M. A. incepts in about three years and two months 
from the time of taking his first degree, though he does 
not become a full M. A. till the July following three 
years and a half in all. 
C. A. Bristed, English University, p. 348. 
What is technically known as admission to that degree 
[licentia docendi] was really nothing more nor less than 
receiving the chancellor's permission to incept. 
Encyc. Brit., XXIII. 835. 
inceptingt (in-sep'ting),#. .. [< incept + -ing?.'] 
Incipient; beginning. 
Incepting poets and philosophers must pay for their 
whistle. Spectator. 
inception (in-sep'shon), n. [= OF. inception, 
< L. inceptio(n-), < incipere, pp, inceptus, begin, 
3034 
lit. take in, take up: see incept."] 1. A taking 
in, as by swallowing ; the process of receiving 
within. [Rare.] 
The result is the immersion of the mouth and nostrils, 
and the inception, during efforts to breathe while beneath 
the surface, of water into the lungs. E. A. Poe. 
2. The incipient or initial stage; beginning; 
commencement. 
incest 
incertainty (in-ser'tan-ti), n. ; pi. incertainties 
(-tiz). [< OF. inceriainete, < incertain, incer- 
tain: see incertain. Of. certainty, uncertainty, ,] 
Uncertainty. 
The hazard 
Of all incertainties. Shak., W. T. , Hi. 2. 
Arranging the opinions of men only to show their incer- 
tainty. Goldsmith, Int. to Hist, of the World. 
Therefore if we can arrive at the inception of religion, incertitude (in-ser'ti-tud), )(. [< F. incertitude 
we have reason to conjecture that the inception of = Sp. incertidumbre, obs. incertitud = It. tncer- 
titudine, < ML. incertitudo (-din-), uncertainty, 
< L. incertus, uncertain, < in- priv. + certus, 
certain: see certain, certitude.'] 1. The state 
or condition of being uncertain ; doubtfulness ; 
uncertainty arising from doubt or hesitation. 
The incertitude and instability of this life, and of hu- 
mane affaires. Holland, tr. of Plutarch, p. 716. 
mankind was not long before. 
Sir M. Hale, Orig. of Mankind, p. 166. 
The inception of the blockade was somewhat Irregular. 
J. R. Soley, Blockade and Cruisers, p. 31. 
If ... we arrange the schools of Greek philosophy In 
numerical order, according to the dates of their inception, 
we do not mean that one expired before another was 
founded. Pop. Set. Mo., XXVIII. 62L 
3. In entom., a starting-point ; the place of be- 
ginning, as of a longitudinal mark, etc. in thla 
sense the inception maybe at either end, and must be de- 
termined by the context : as, the inception of a dark line 
on the costal border. 
4. The formal qualification of a master of arts 
in the old universities, preliminary to taking his 
degree ; the solemn act kept by the candidate 
for the degree of master of arts immediately 
before receiving the degree; the commence- 
ment. 
By inception was Implied the master's formal entrance 
upon, and commencement of, fJie functions of a duly li- 
censed teacher, and his recognition as such by his brothers 
in the profession. Encyc. Brit., XXIII. 835. 
inceptive (in-sep'tiv), a. and n. [= OF. incep- 
tif, < NL. ineeptivus, < L. inwpere, pp. inceptus, 
begin: see incept.'] I. a. 1. Beginning; start- 
ing ; noting the initial point or step : as, an in- 
ceptive proposition ; an inceptive verb (one that 
expresses the beginning of action). 
Inceptive and desitive propositions : as, the fogs van- 
ish as the sun rises ; but the fogs have not yet begun to 
vanish, therefore the sun is not yet risen. 
Watts, Logic, III. li. 4. 
You see, in speaking, or by sound or ink, 
The grand inceptive caution is to think. 
Byrom, Art of Eng. Poetry. 
2. In math., serving to initiate or produce: 
applied to such moments or first principles as, 
though of no magnitude themselves, are yet 
capable of producing results which are : thus, a 
point is inceptive of a line ; a line, of a surface ; 
and a surface, of a solid. Wallis. 
II. n. That which begins or notes beginning, 
as a proposition or a verb. Also inchoative. 
inceptively (in-sep'tiv-li), adv. In an inceptive 
manner. 
inceptor (in-sep'tor), n. [= Sp. (obs.) inceptor, 
< LL. inceptor, <"L. incipere, pp. inceptus, be- 
gin: see incept.] 1. A beginner; one who is 
in the rudiments. [Rare.] 2. One who is 
about to take the degree of master of arts at 
an English or other old university, having ful- 
filled all the conditions. 
Next follow'd y disputations of the Inceptor Doctors 
in Medicine, the speech of their Professor Dr. Hyde, and 
so in course their respective creations. 
Evelyn, Diary, July 10, 1669. 
The Inceptor or candidate then began his speech, where- 
in I found little edification. 
Locke, quot. in Dr. J. Brown's Spare Hours, Sd ser., p. 50. 
inceration (in-se-ra'shon), n. [= F. inceration, 
< L. as if *inceratio(n-),\ incerareC>It. incerare, 
= Sp. Pg. encerar), pp. inceratus, cover with 
wax, < in, on, + ccra, wax: see cere.] 1. The 
act of covering or treating with wax ; waxing. 
He's ripe for inceration, he stands warm, 
In his ash-fire. B. Jonson, Alchemist, it 1. 
2. The act of incorporating wax with some 
other body ; also, the operation of communicat- 
ing to a dry substance the consistence of wax. 
Also called encerosis. Dunglison, Med. Diet. 
incerative (in'se-ra-tiv), a. [As incerat(ion) 
+ -ive.] Sticking like wax. Cotgrave. 
inceremonioust (in-ser-e-mo'ni-us), a. [< in-3 
+ ceremoniotix.] Unceremonious. 
One holds it best to set forth God's service in a solemn 
state and magnificence ; another approves better of a sim- 
ple and inceremonious devotion. 
Bp. Hall, Soliloquies, xvii. 
incertaint (in-ser'tan), a. [< ME. incertain, < 
OF. (also F.) incertain; as in- 3 + certain. Cf. 
L. incertus (> It. Pg. incerto = Sp. incierto), un- 
certain.] Uncertain. 
To be worse than worst 
Of those that lawless and incertain thoughts 
Imagine howling ! Shale., M. for M., iii. 1. 
A Wanderer, and subject to incertain Removes, and 
short Sojourns in divers Places before. 
Howell, Letters, I. ii. 5. 
incertainlyt (in-ser'tau-li), adv. Uncertainly. 
Answer incertainly and ambiguously. Huloet. 
He fails and forfeits reputation from mere incertitude 
or irresolution. Is. Taylor. 
2. Obscurity; indefiniteness. 
Visit it [London] ... in the autumn, and towards the 
close of the day, when the gray incertitude lies on the 
mighty city. The Century, XXVI. 82L 
incessablet (in-ses'a-bl), a. [< OF. incessable 
= Sp. incesable = It. incessabile, < L. incessabilis, 
unceasing, < in- priv. + "cessabilis, < cessare, 
cease: see cease.] Unceasing; continual. 
He heard likewise those incessable strokes, but could not 
espy the cause of them. 
Shelton, tr. of Don Quixote, I. ill. 6. 
incessablyt (in-ses'a-bli), adv. Continually; 
unceasingly ; without intermission, 
incessancy (in-ses'an-si), n. The quality of 
being incessant; unintermitted continuance. 
[Rare.] 
Whose white bones wasting He 
In some farre region, with th' incessancie 
Of showres powrd downe vpon them. 
Chapman, Odyssey, L 
incessant (in-ses'ant), a. [= F. incessant = 
Sp. incesante = Pg. It. incessante, < LL. inces- 
san(t-)s (in adv. incessanter), < L. n- v priv. + 
cessan(t-)s, ppr. of cessare, cease: see cease.'] 
Continued or repeated without interruption or 
intermission; unceasing; ceaseless: as, inces- 
sant rains; incessant clamor. 
From skies descending down, a swarme of bees beset the 
bowes, 
Incessant thick with noise. Phaer, JSneid, vii. 
The people are proud, clever, and active, and all engaged 
in incessant cares of commerce. 
Quoted in C. Elton's Origins of Eng. Hist., p. 20. 
= Syn. Continuous, Incessant, Continual, Perpetual; un- 
remitting, unremitted. Continuous means unbroken, 
and is passive ; incessant means unceasing, and is active. 
The former is preferable to note duration, condition, or 
result ; the latter, to describe the exertion by which the 
condition or result is produced. We speak of a continu- 
OUSOT an incessant fever, according as we think of the fe- 
ver as a state or as an activity ; and similarly of a continu- 
ous or incessant strain of music, and the continuous or in- 
cessant murmur of a brook ; but only of a continuous rail- 
road-track or telegraph-wire. Continual regularly im- 
plies the habitual or repeated renewals of an act, state, 
etc.: as, a continual succession of storms. In the Bible 
continual is sometimes used for continuous, but the dis- 
tinction here indicated is now clearly established. Per- 
petual is continuous with the idea of lastingness : as, per- 
petual motion. It is often used in the sense of continual: 
as, I am sick of such perpetual bickerings. In either 
sense, unless the thing is really everlasting, it is used by 
hyperbole, as implying that one sees no end to the mat- 
ter. See eternal. 
incessantly (in-ses'ant-li), adv. [< ME. inces- 
santli; < incessant -ly%.] 1. In an incessant 
manner ; with constant repetition ; unceasingly. 
The frosty north wind blowes a cold thicke sleete, 
That dazzles eyes ; flakes after flakes, incessantly descend- 
ing. Chapman, Iliad, xix. 
He was so incessantly given to his devotion and prayers 
as no man more in the whole house. 
Coryat, Crudities, 1. 183. 
2f. Instantly; immediately. 
If I see him I fear I shall turn to Stone, and petrifle in- 
cessantly. Congreve, Way of the World, v. 8. 
If I catch any one among you, upon any pretence what- 
soever, using the particle or, I shall incessantly order him 
to be stripped of his gown, and thrown over the bar. 
Addison, Charge to the Jury. 
incessantness (in-ses'ant-nes), n. The charac- 
ter of being incessant. 
incessiont (in-sesh'on), n. [< L. as if incessio(n-), 
< incedere, pp. inccssus, go along, go forward: 
see incede. ] A going ; progression ; locomotion. 
The incession or local motion of animals is made with 
analogy unto this figure. 
Sir T. Browne, Garden of Cyrus, iii. 
incest (in'sest), n. [< ME. incest, < OF. (also 
F.) inceste = Sp. Pg. It. incesto, < L. incestum, 
unchastity, incest, neut. of incestns, unchaste 
(> incestns (incestu-), in., incest), < in- priv. + 
castus, chaste : see chaste."] The offense of co- 
habitation or sexual commerce between per- 
sons related within the degrees wherein mar- 
