instant
/ˈɪnstənt/ noun, adjective, adverb, verb
Forms instants instanting instanted instaunt
- noun 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.”
- noun A single, usually precise, point in time. “The instant the alarm went off, he fled the building.”
- noun A beverage or food which has been pre-processed to reduce preparation time, especially instant coffee.
- adjective (dated) Impending; imminent.
- adjective (dated) Urgent; pressing; acute.
- adjective (dated) Insistent; persistent.
- adjective (law) Present; current; extant.
- adjective Occurring immediately; immediate; present.
- adjective Lasting for a short moment; momentary; short-lived.
- adjective Very quickly and easily prepared. “instant coffee; instant noodles; instant mashed potato; instant photo”
- adjective (dated) Of the current month. “I refer to your letter of the 16th instant in regard to traffic disruption.”
- adverb (poetic) At once; immediately.
- noun instant camera
- verb (obsolete, transitive) To urge, press (someone); to insist on, demand (something).
Synonyms
eyeblink flash jiffy bat of an eye bit blink of an eye crack glimpse half a mo jiff jot minute mo moment New York minute New York second no time sec second span heartbeat split second trice twinkling wink instantaneous inst clamant crying exigent
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.
Ultimately from Latin īnstāre; its precise evolution is uncertain. OED hints at (unattested) Middle French *instanter.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Pressing; urgent; importunate; earnest.
- adjective Closely pressing or impending in respect to time; not deferred; immediate; without delay.
- adverb Instantly. [Poetic]
- noun A point in duration; a moment; a portion of time too short to be estimated; also, any particular moment.
Etymology [L. instans, -antis, p. pr. of instare to stand upon, to press upon; pref. in- in, on + stare to stand: cf. F. in. See Stand.]
Etymology [F. instant, fr. L. instans standing by, being near, present. See Instant, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “instant”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details