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instant - 7 dictionary results

in⋅stant

  [in-stuhnt]
Use instant in a Sentence
–noun
1. an infinitesimal or very short space of time; a moment: They arrived not an instant too soon.
2. the point of time now present or present with reference to some action or event.
3. a particular moment: at the instant of contact.
4. a food or beverage, esp. coffee, specially processed for quick preparation.
5. Older Use. the present or current month.
–adjective
6. succeeding without any interval of time; prompt; immediate: instant relief from a headache.
7. pressing or urgent: instant need.
8. noting a food or beverage requiring a minimal amount of time and effort to prepare, as by heating or the addition of milk or water, before being served or used: instant coffee; instant pudding.
9. occurring, done, or prepared with a minimal amount of time and effort; produced rapidly and with little preparation: an instant book; instant answers; instant history.
10. designed to act or produce results quickly or immediately: an instant lottery.
11. Older Use. of the present month: your letter of the 12th instant. Abbreviation: inst. Compare proximo, ultimo.
12. present; current: the instant case before the court.
–adverb
13. instantly.
Origin:
1350–1400; 1910–15; for def. 8; ME < L instant- (s. of instāns) prp. of instāre to be present, urgent, equiv. to in- in- 2 + -stā- stand + -nt- prp. suffix

Synonyms:
1. second, twinkling, flash, jiffy, trice. See minute 1 .
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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in·stant   (ĭn'stənt)   
n.  
  1. An almost imperceptible space of time. See Synonyms at moment.
  2. A particular or precise time: at the instant of combustion.
  3. Abbr. inst. The current month: your letter of the 15th instant.
  4. A food or beverage designed for quick preparation.
adj.  
  1. Occurring at once; immediate: instant gratification.
  2. Imperative; urgent: an instant need.
  3. Now under consideration; present.
    1. Commercially prepared or processed for quick and easy final preparation: an instant cake mix.
    2. Readily soluble in water: instant coffee; instant powdered milk.
    3. Appearing, done, or taking place with or as if with maximum quickness and ease: "She had the gift of instant intimacy" (Sylvia Jukes Morris).
adv.  At once; instantly.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin īnstāns, īnstant-, present, present participle of īnstāre, to approach : in-, on; see in-2 + stāre, to stand; see stā- in Indo-European roots.]
in'stant·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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. in?tant. See Stand.]

1. Pressing; urgent; importunate; earnest.

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer. --Rom. xii. 12.

I am beginning to be very instant for some sort of occupation. --Carlyle.

2. Closely pressing or impending in respect to time; not deferred; immediate; without delay.

Impending death is thine, and instant doom. --Prior.

3. Present; current.

The instant time is always the fittest time. --Fuller.

Note: The word in this sense is now used only in dates, to indicate the current month; as, the tenth of July instant.

Instant

In"stant\, adv. Instantly. [Poetic]

Instant he flew with hospitable haste. --Pope.

Instant

In"stant\, n. [F. instant, fr. L. instans standing by, being near, present. See Instant, a.]

1. A point in duration; a moment; a portion of time too short to be estimated; also, any particular moment.

There is scarce an instant between their flourishing and their not being. --Hooker.

2. A day of the present or current month; as, the sixth instant; -- an elliptical expression equivalent to the sixth of the month instant, i. e., the current month. See Instant, a., 3.

Syn: Moment; flash; second.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : instant
Spanish: instantáneo, inmediato,
German: augenblicklich,
Japanese: 即座の
More Translations »

instant  (n.)
1398, "infinitely short space of time," from O.Fr. instant (adj.) "assiduous, at hand," from M.L. instantem (nom. instans), from L. instantem "present, pressing, urgent," prp. of instare "to urge, to stand near, be present (to urge one's case)," from in- "in" + stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Elliptical use of the O.Fr. adj. as a noun. New Latinate adj. form instantaneous is attested from 1651.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: in·stant
Function: adjective
: being under present consideration instant case>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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