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5 dictionary results for: spontaneous
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
spon·ta·ne·ous
[spon-tey-nee-uh
s] Pronunciation Key
[spon-tey-nee-uh
s] Pronunciation Key –adjective
| 1. | coming or resulting from a natural impulse or tendency; without effort or premeditation; natural and unconstrained; unplanned: a spontaneous burst of applause. |
| 2. | (of a person) given to acting upon sudden impulses. |
| 3. | (of natural phenomena) arising from internal forces or causes; independent of external agencies; self-acting. |
| 4. | growing naturally or without cultivation, as plants and fruits; indigenous. |
| 5. | produced by natural process. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| spon·ta·ne·ous
(spŏn-tā'nē-əs) Pronunciation Key
adj.
[From Late Latin spontāneus, of one's own accord, from Latin sponte; see (s)pen- in Indo-European roots.] spon·ta'ne·ous·ly adv., spon·ta'ne·ous·ness n. Synonyms: These adjectives mean acting, reacting, or happening without apparent forethought or prompting. Spontaneous applies to what arises naturally rather than resulting from external constraint or stimulus: "The highest and best form of efficiency is the spontaneous cooperation of a free people" (Woodrow Wilson). |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
spontaneous
spontaneous
1656, from L.L. spontaneus "willing, of one's free will," from L. (sua) sponte "of one's own accord, willingly," of unknown origin. Spontaneous combustion first attested 1795.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| spontaneous | |
adjective | |
| 1. | happening or arising without apparent external cause; "spontaneous laughter"; "spontaneous combustion"; "a spontaneous abortion" [ant: induced] |
| 2. | said or done without having been planned or written in advance; "he made a few ad-lib remarks" [syn: ad-lib] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Spontaneous
Spon*ta"ne*ous\, a. [L. spontaneus, fr. sponte of free will, voluntarily.]1. Proceding from natural feeling, temperament, or disposition, or from a native internal proneness, readiness, or tendency, without constraint; as, a spontaneous gift or proportion. 2. Proceeding from, or acting by, internal impulse, energy, or natural law, without external force; as, spontaneous motion; spontaneous growth. 3. Produced without being planted, or without human labor; as, a spontaneous growth of wood. Spontaneous combustion, combustion produced in a substance by the evolution of heat through the chemical action of its own elements; as, the spontaneous combustion of waste matter saturated with oil. Spontaneous generation. (Biol.) See under Generation. Syn: Voluntary; uncompelled; willing. Usage: Spontaneous, Voluntary. What is voluntary is the result of a volition, or act of choice; it therefore implies some degree of consideration, and may be the result of mere reason without excited feeling. What is spontaneous springs wholly from feeling, or a sudden impulse which admits of no reflection; as, a spontaneous burst of applause. Hence, the term is also applied to things inanimate when they are produced without the determinate purpose or care of man. "Abstinence which is but voluntary fasting, and . . . exercise which is but voluntary labor." --J. Seed. Spontaneous joys, where nature has its play, The soul adopts, and owns their firstborn away. --Goldsmith. -- Spon*ta"ne*ous*ly, adv. -- Spon*ta"ne*ous*ness, n.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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