front, forefront, anterior, leading part, vanguard, head, van, fore
nascent - emerging - budding - developing - initial - beginning - embryonic - fledgling - inceptive - germinal - starting - commencing - dawning - inchoate - introductory - early - formative - preliminary - rudimentary - primary - outset - originating - sprouting - burgeoning - incipient
The term 'incipient' refers to something that is just beginning to develop or come into existence. It is often used to describe early stages of a process, condition, or phenomenon. For example, one might refer to an 'incipient problem' meaning a problem that is starting to appear but may not yet be fully developed. Similarly, 'incipient stages' could refer to the initial phases where changes are just starting to be noticed.