instant
adjective
- immediate
noun
- very brief period of time
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈɪnstənt/
adj
Etymology: From French instant and Middle English instant, both from Old French, from Latin instans (“standing by, being near, present, also urgent, importunate”), present participle of instō (“to stand upon, press upon, urge, pursue, insist”), from in (“on, upon”) + stō (“to stand”); see state.
- Impending; imminent.
“Impending death is thine, and instant doom.”
- Urgent; pressing; acute.
- Insistent; persistent.
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.”
“January 2, 1827, Thomas Carlyle, letter to Mrs. Carlyle, Scotsbrig I am beginning to be very instant for some sort of occupation.”
- Present; current; extant.
“He received just two disciplinary reports prior to committing the instant offense, one in March 2019 for activating an alarm during a non-emergency situation, and one in May 2019 for failing to provide a urine specimen.”
- Occurring immediately; immediate; present.
“I ſee no day to To day, the inſtant Time is alvvayes the fitteſt time.”
“No one, however, would have anything to do with him, as Mr. Keeson's orders in those respects were very strict; he had often threatened any one of his employés with instant dismissal if he found him in company with one of these touts.”
- Lasting for a short moment; momentary; short-lived.
- Very quickly and easily prepared.
“instant coffee; instant noodles; instant mashed potato; instant photo”
- Of the current month.
“I refer to your letter of the 16th instant in regard to traffic disruption.”
“Vice-Admiral Kamimura reports that at dawn of the 14th instant, our squadron found, off Ulsan, the south-eastern coast of Corea, three ships of the Vladivostock squadron steaming southward.”
adv
Etymology: From French instant and Middle English instant, both from Old French, from Latin instans (“standing by, being near, present, also urgent, importunate”), present participle of instō (“to stand upon, press upon, urge, pursue, insist”), from in (“on, upon”) + stō (“to stand”); see state.
- At once; immediately.
“He left the room for his relinquished sword, / And Julia instant to the closet flew.”
noun
Etymology: From Middle English instant (“infinitely short period of time”), from Old French instant (“assiduous, at hand”, adjective), from Latin īnstāns, īnstantis (“present, pressing, urgent”, literally “standing near”), present active participle of īnstō (“to stand upon, be nearby”), from in- (“after”) + stō (“to stand”). Compare Old English instede (“immediately, on the spot, at once”). More at in, stand.
- A very short period of time; a moment.
“She paused for only an instant, which was just enough time for John to change the subject.”
“Thy life is long, Eternity is short. So short that, shouldst thou die and Eternity should pass, and after the passing of Eternity thou shouldst live again, thou wouldst say: ‘I closed mine eyes but for an instant.’”
- A single, usually precise, point in time.
“The instant the alarm went off, he fled the building.”
- A beverage or food which has been pre-processed to reduce preparation time, especially instant coffee.
- Ellipsis of instant camera.
verb
Etymology: Ultimately from Latin īnstāre; its precise evolution is uncertain. OED hints at (unattested) Middle French *instanter.
- To urge, press (someone); to insist on, demand (something).