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instant - 7 dictionary results

in⋅stant

   [in-stuhnt]
–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
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : instant
Spanish: instantáneo, inmediato, German: augenblicklich, Japanese: 即座の
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in·stant     (ĭn'stənt)  Pronunciation Key 
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 © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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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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instant

adjective
1. occurring with no delay; "relief was instantaneous"; "instant gratification" [syn: instantaneous] 
2. in or of the present month; "your letter of the 10th inst" 
3. demanding attention; "clamant needs"; "a crying need"; "regarded literary questions as exigent and momentous"- H.L.Mencken; "insistent hunger"; "an instant need" [syn: clamant] 

noun
1. a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat); "if I had the chance I'd do it in a flash" 
2. a particular point in time; "the moment he arrived the party began" [syn: moment] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Instant

In"stance\, n. [F. instance, L. instantia, fr. instans. See Instant.]

1. The act or quality of being instant or pressing; urgency; solicitation; application; suggestion; motion.

Undertook at her instance to restore them. --Sir W. Scott.

2. That which is instant or urgent; motive. [Obs.]

The instances that second marriage move Are base respects of thrift, but none of love. --Shak.

3. Occasion; order of occurrence.

These seem as if, in the time of Edward I., they were drawn up into the form of a law, in the first instance. --Sir M. Hale.

4. That which offers itself or is offered as an illustrative case; something cited in proof or exemplification; a case occurring; an example.

Most remarkable instances of suffering. --Atterbury.

5. A token; a sign; a symptom or indication. --Shak.

Causes of instance, those which proceed at the solicitation of some party. --Hallifax.

Court of first instance, the court by which a case is first tried.

For instance, by way of example or illustration.

Instance Court (Law), the Court of Admiralty acting within its ordinary jurisdiction, as distinguished from its action as a prize court.

Syn: Example; case. See Example.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

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.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

Instant

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

Instant he flew with hospitable haste. --Pope.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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