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Instant
Definitions
- 1 Impending; imminent. dated, not-comparable
"Impending death is thine, and instant doom."
- 2 Urgent; pressing; acute. dated, not-comparable
- 3 Insistent; persistent. dated, not-comparable
"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer."
- 4 Present; current; extant. not-comparable
"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."
- 5 Occurring immediately; immediate; present. not-comparable
"I ſee no day to To day, the inſtant Time is alvvayes the fitteſt time."
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- 6 Lasting for a short moment; momentary; short-lived. not-comparable
- 7 Very quickly and easily prepared. not-comparable
"instant coffee; instant noodles; instant mashed potato; instant photo"
- 8 Of the current month. dated, not-comparable
"I refer to your letter of the 16th instant in regard to traffic disruption."
- 1 demanding attention wordnet
- 2 occurring with no delay wordnet
- 3 in or of the present month wordnet
- 1 At once; immediately. not-comparable, poetic
"He left the room for his relinquished sword, / And Julia instant to the closet flew."
- 1 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."
- 2 a particular point in time wordnet
- 3 A single, usually precise, point in time.
"The instant the alarm went off, he fled the building."
- 4 a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat) wordnet
- 5 A beverage or food which has been pre-processed to reduce preparation time, especially instant coffee.
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- 6 Ellipsis of instant camera. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 1 To urge, press (someone); to insist on, demand (something). obsolete, transitive
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.
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.
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.
Ultimately from Latin īnstāre; its precise evolution is uncertain. OED hints at (unattested) Middle French *instanter.
See also for "instant"
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Unscramble this word: instant