instant

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English

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Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈɪnstənt/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Etymology 1

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From Middle English instant (“infinitely short period of time”), from Old French instant (“assiduous, at hand”, adj), 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.

Noun

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instant (plural instants)

  1. A very short period of time; a moment.
    Synonyms: eyeblink, flash, jiffy; see also Thesaurus:moment
    She paused for only an instant, which was just enough time for John to change the subject.
    • 1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC, page 76:
      Thy life is long, Eternity is short. So short that, shouldst thou die and Eternity should pass, and after the passing of Eternity thou shouldst live again, thou wouldst say: ‘I closed mine eyes but for an instant.’
    • 2021 November 3, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Boxes with functions across the centuries”, in RAIL, number 943, page 57, referring to the Tay Bridge disaster:
      "On receiving the baton, steam was again turned on, and the train passed on to the bridge... when the train had got about 200 yards from the cabin [in the signal box], he observed sparks flying from the wheels; and after they had continued about three minutes, there was a sudden bright flash of light, and in an instant there was total darkness, the tail lamps of the train, the sparks, and flash of light, all, he said disappearing at the same instant."
  2. A single, usually precise, point in time.
    Synonyms: minute, moment
    The instant the alarm went off, he fled the building.
  3. A beverage or food which has been pre-processed to reduce preparation time, especially instant coffee.
  5. Ellipsis of instant camera.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Etymology 2

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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.

Adjective

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instant (not comparable)

  1. (dated) Impending; imminent.
    Synonyms: pending, proximate; see also Thesaurus:impending
    • 1703, Matthew Prior, an Ode to Colonel George Villiers:
      Impending death is thine, and instant doom.
  2. (dated) Urgent; pressing; acute.
  3. (dated) Insistent; persistent.
    Synonyms: exigent, imperious; see also Thesaurus:urgent
  4. (law) Present; current; extant.
    • December 28, 2019 Attorney Jeffery S. Levin, quoted in The Boston Globe, p. 3
      He received just two disciplinary reports prior to committing the instant offense, one in March 2019 for activating an alarm during a non-emergency situation, and one in May 2019 for failing to provide a urine specimen.
  5. Occurring immediately; immediate; present.
    Synonyms: instantaneous; see also Thesaurus:instantaneous
    • 1645, Thomas Fuller, “Personall Meditations”, in Good Thoughts in Bad Times, […], Exeter, Devon: […] Thomas Hunt, →OCLC, section VIII, page 19:
      I ſee no day to To day, the inſtant Time is alvvayes the fitteſt time.
    • 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Hocussing of Cigarette”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
      No one, however, would have anything to do with him, as Mr. Keeson's orders in those respects were very strict ; he had often threatened any one of his employés with instant dismissal if he found him in company with one of these touts.
    • 2023 February 27, Luke Munn, “8chan's Playful Hate”, in Red Pilled - The Allure of Digital Hate, Bielefeld: Bielefeld University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 37:
      As the body count rose, Tarrant quickly became a hero who had achieved a “new high score,” surpassing the former record holder Seung-Hui Cho of Virginia Tech. Tarrant attained instant cult status in the community.
  6. Lasting for a short moment; momentary; short-lived.
    Synonyms: brief, transient; see also Thesaurus:ephemeral
  7. Very quickly and easily prepared.
    instant coffee; instant noodles; instant mashed potato; instant photo
  8. Of the current month.
    Synonym: (abbreviation) inst.
    I refer to your letter of the 16th instant in regard to traffic disruption.
Derived terms
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Translations
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Adverb

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instant (not comparable)

  1. (poetic) At once; immediately.
    • 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, I.182:
      He left the room for his relinquished sword, / And Julia instant to the closet flew.
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Catalan

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin īnstantem.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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instant m (plural instants)

  1. instant (very short period of time)
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Further reading

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French

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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instant (feminine instante, masculine plural instants, feminine plural instantes)

  1. (literary) pressing, insistent

Noun

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instant m (plural instants)

  1. instant, minute, moment
    en un instant ― in an instant
    il n’y a pas un instant à perdre ― there's not a moment to spare
    ne durer qu’un instant ― to last only an instant
    ne pas douter de quelque chose un seul instant ― not to doubt something for a minute
    il ne faut qu’un instant pour le faire ― it takes only a minute to do

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Latin

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Verb

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īnstant

  1. third-person plural present active indicative of īnstō

Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English instant.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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instant m or f or n (indeclinable)

  1. instant (very quickly and easily prepared)

Declension

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invariable singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite instant instant instant instant
definite — — — —
genitive/
dative 		indefinite instant instant instant instant
definite — — — —

Adjective

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instant m or n (feminine singular instantă, masculine plural instanți, feminine and neuter plural instante)

  1. (nonstandard) instant (occurring immediately; immediate; present)

Declension

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singular plural
masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
nominative/
accusative 		indefinite instant instantă instanți instante
definite instantul instanta instanții instantele
genitive/
dative 		indefinite instant instante instanți instante
definite instantului instantei instanților instantelor

Synonyms

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Adverb

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instant

  1. (nonstandard) instantly
    Synonym: instantaneu
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