instant

instant
\ \ [15] Latin instāre meant ‘be present’ (it was a compound verb formed from the prefix in- ‘upon’ and stārestand’). Its present participle instāns was used adjectivally for ‘present’, and hence by extension for ‘urgent’. The latter was actually the meaning originally taken up by English, but it has now virtually died out. ‘Present’ was introduced in the mid-16th century (it now survives in the abbreviation inst, used in giving dates to signify ‘the present month’), and by the end of the century this had evolved into the main current sense ‘immediate’. The noun instantmoment’ comes from medieval Latin tempus instānspresent time’. Derived from instāns was the Latin noun instantiapresence, urgency’. Again it was the latter that originally came into English with instance [14]. The main modern sense ‘example’, first recorded in the 16th century, appears to come ultimately from a semantic progression in medieval Latin from ‘urgency’ to ‘eager solicitation’ and hence to ‘legal pleading’. Further metaphoricization took it on to ‘new argument or example adduced to counter a previous one’, and hence in due course to simply ‘example’.
\ \ Cf.INSTANCE, STAND, STATION, STATUE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • instant — instant, ante 1. (in stan, stan t ) adj. 1°   Qui poursuit, qui presse. Instante sollicitation. Aux instantes prières de cet homme. 2°   Qui nous est prochain, qui est sur nous. Le péril est instant. Le besoin est instant. •   Le régent avait… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • instant — n Instant, moment, minute, second, flash, jiffy, twinkling, split second are comparable when they mean a particular point of time or a stretch of time of almost imperceptible duration. Instant and moment are often used interchangeably {to us …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Instant — In stant, n. [F. instant, fr. L. instans standing by, being near, present. See {Instant}, a.] [1913 Webster] 1. A point in time; a moment; a portion of time too short to be estimated; also, any particular moment; as, teh situation may change in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • instant — in·stant adj: being under present consideration the questions presented in the instant case Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. instant …   Law dictionary

  • Instant — In stant, a. [L. instans, antis, p. pr. of instare to stand upon, to press upon; pref. in in, on + stare to stand: cf. F. instant. See {Stand}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Pressing; urgent; importunate; earnest. [1913 Webster] Rejoicing in hope; patient… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • instant- — DEFINICIJA 1. kao prvi dio riječi znači da što ima takav sastav ili da je izrađeno u takvoj tehnološkoj pripremi da se može prirediti brže nego što se to radi na uobičajen, tradicionalan način [instant kava; instant palenta] 2. iron. pejor. onaj… …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • instant — in‧stant [ˈɪnstənt] adjective happening or available immediately: • We do not expect instant profits. • The agreement will offer subscribers instant access to overseas databases. * * * instant UK US /ˈɪnstənt/ adjective ► happening immediately,… …   Financial and business terms

  • Instant — ist ein Begriff bei Lebensmitteln, der Fertigprodukte bezeichnet. Wortherkunft Der Begriff instant [ɪnstənt], der im Deutschen ‚sofort‘ bedeutet, ist ein Lehnwort aus der englischen Sprache. Er kommt ursprünglich aus dem Latein, und findet sich… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • instant — [in′stənt] adj. [LME < MFr < L instans, prp. of instare, to stand upon or near, press < in , in, upon + stare, to STAND] 1. urgent; pressing 2. soon to happen; imminent 3. without delay; immediate [to demand instant obedience] 4.… …   English World dictionary

  • instant — INSTÁNT adj. invar. Instantaneu, rapid. ♦ (Despre mâncăruri sau băuturi) Care se prepară repede, fără fierbere, prin dizolvare. [pr.: stánt] – cuv. engl. Trimis de valeriu, 21.07.2003. Sursa: DEX 98  instánt adj. m., pl. instánţi …   Dicționar Român

  • Instant- — Präfixoid sofort gebrauchsfähig erw. fach. ( ) Beschreibung von Affixen. Bildungen der Werbesprache nach dem Vorbild von ne. instant coffee sofort löslicher, sofort gebrauchsfähiger Kaffee . ne. instant stammt über mfrz. instant aus l. īnstāns… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

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