GRE Words for Beginnings: Nascent, Neophyte, and the 'Nov' Root

Words for things just starting out appear throughout GRE verbal, often describing ideas, movements, or people in an early stage. Grouping them fixes both the meaning and the subtle differences between them.

Nascent (just beginning to exist; emerging). From Latin nasci, "to be born" (the same root as "native" and "renaissance"). Hook: a nascent movement has just been born.

Incipient (in an initial stage; beginning to appear). From Latin incipere, "to begin." Hook: incipient and "inception" share the same beginning.

Inchoate (just begun and so not fully formed). From Latin inchoare, "to begin." Hook: an inchoate plan is half-formed, still taking shape.

Neophyte (a beginner or new convert). From Greek neophytos, "newly planted," from neo- (new) + phyton (plant). Hook: a neophyte is newly planted — fresh in the ground.

Novice (a person new to an activity). From Latin novus, "new" (the same nov in "novel" and "innovate"). Hook: a novice is new at it.

Fledgling (a young, inexperienced person or new venture). From "fledge," to grow the feathers needed to fly. Hook: a fledgling has just grown its first feathers.

Watch the nuance: nascent and incipient describe a thing in its early stage, while neophyte and novice describe a person who is new. Sentence Equivalence often hinges on whether the blank refers to a stage or a beginner.

Verbloom drills these in real sentences and groups them by the shared idea of newness, so the meanings reinforce one another.