instant

English

Alternative forms

• instaunt (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈɪnstənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Latin instans “a moment of time”, formed as the adjective.

Noun

instant (plural instants)

1. A very short period of time; a moment.
   • She paused for only an instant, which was just enough time for John to change the subject.
2. A single, usually precise, point in time.
   • The instant the alarm went off, he fled the building.
3. An instant beverage or food, especially instant coffee.
4. The current month (abbreviated as: inst.)
   • In response to your letter of the twenty-first instant...

Translations

period of time

Arabic: لَحْظة (ar) (laHZa(t)) f. Chinese: Mandarin: 瞬間 (cmn), 瞬间 (cmn) (shùnjiàn), 剎那 (cmn), 刹那 (cmn) (chànà) Czech: okamžik (cs) m., moment (cs) m. Danish: øjeblik (da) Dutch: moment (nl), ogenblik (nl), poosje (nl) Esperanto: momento (eo) Finnish: hetki (fi) French: instant (fr) m. German: Augenblick (de) m.

Greek: στιγμή (el) (stigmí) f. Hebrew: רגע (he) (rega) m. Hungarian: pillanat (hu) Italian: istante (it) m., attimo (it) m. Japanese: 瞬間 (ja) (shunkan) Portuguese: instante (pt) m. Russian: мгновение (ru) (mgnov'énije) n., момент (ru) (mom'ént) m. Spanish: instante (es) m. Swahili: sasa (sw) Swedish: ögonblick (sv) n. Turkish: an (tr)

point in time

Chinese: Mandarin: 瞬間 (cmn), 瞬间 (cmn) (shùnjiàn), 剎那 (cmn), 刹那 (cmn) (chànà) Czech: okamžik (cs) m., moment (cs) m. Danish: øjeblik (da) Dutch: moment (nl), ogenblik (nl) Esperanto: momento (eo) Finnish: hetki (fi) French: instant (fr) m.

Greek: στιγμή (el) (stigmí) Hungarian: pillanat (hu) Italian: istante (it) m. Japanese: 瞬間 (ja) (shunkan) Portuguese: instante (pt) m. Russian: мгновение (ru) (mgnov'énije) n., момент (ru) (mom'ént) m. Spanish: momento (es) m. Swedish: ögonblick (sv) n. Turkish: an (tr)

instant beverage or food

Chinese: Mandarin: 方便 (cmn) (fāngbiàn)

Japanese: 即席 (ja) (sokuseki), インスタント (ja) (insutanto) Romanian: instant (ro)

Etymology 2

From Old French and French instant, from Latin instans (“standing by, being near, present, also urgent, importunate”), present participle of instare (“to stand upon, press upon, urge, pursue, insist”), from in (“on, upon”) + stare (“to stand”); see state.

Adjective

instant (comparative more instant, superlative most instant)

1. Impending; imminent.
2. Urgent; pressing; acute.
3. Occurring immediately; immediate; present.
4. Lasting for a short moment; momentary; short-lived.
5. Very quickly and easily prepared (food or drink), for example instant coffee.
6. Of the current month (abbreviation inst.)
   • “I refer to your letter of the 16th inst. in regard to traffic disruption”

Derived terms

• instantize, instantise
• instantly
• instant replay

Related terms

• instakill
• instance

Translations

imminent

Dutch: op handen zijnd, dreigend Japanese: 差し迫った (ja) (sashisematta), 切迫した (ja) (seppaku shita)

Russian: настоятельный (ru) (nastoját'el'nyj), безотлагательный (ru) (b'ezotlagát'el'nyj)

urgent

Dutch: dringend (nl), ogenblikkelijk (nl) Finnish: välitön (fi)

Japanese: 急ぎの (ja) (isogi no), 火急の (ja) (kakyū no), 緊急の (ja) (kinkyū no) Russian: настоятельный (nastoját'el'nyj), безотлагательный (b'ezotlagát'el'nyj)

immediate

Dutch: onmiddelijk, ogenblikkelijk Finnish: välitön (fi) Italian: immediato (it) Japanese: 即席の (ja) (sokuseki no), その場で決めた (ja) (sonoba de kimeta); 瞬時の (ja) (shunji no)

Russian: текущий (ru) (t'ekúš'ij) Scottish Gaelic: grad (gd) Swedish: ögonblicklig (sv), omedelbar (sv)

momentary

Dutch: kortstondig (nl)

Finnish: hetkellinen (fi)

quickly prepared

Czech: instantní (cs) Dutch: kant-en-klaar Finnish: pika- French: instantané (fr)

Japanese: 即席の (ja) (sokuseki no), インスタントの (ja) (insutanto no) Swedish: snabb-, kvick- Turkish: hazır (tr)

of the current month

Japanese: 今月の (ja) (kongetsu no)

Adverb

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.

Related terms

• inst
• instance
• instancy
• instantaneous
• instantaneously
• instanter
• instantial
• instantiate
• instantly

Statistics

• Most common English words before 1923: fee · excellent · Peter · #999: instant · promised · anxious · drink

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Catalan

Noun

instant m. (plural instants)

1. instant (very short period of time)

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɛ̃stɑ̃/

• instant

  (file)

Adjective

instant m. (f. instante, m. plural instants, f. plural instantes)

1. (literary) pressing, insistent

Noun

instant m. (plural instants)

1. instant, minute, moment

Derived terms

• de tous les instants
• instantané

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Latin

Verb

instant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of instō

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Romanian

Etymology

English instant

Pronunciation

• IPA: [inˈstant]

Adjective

instant ^{4 nom/acc forms}

1. instant

Declension

declension of instant

		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

Adverb

instant

1. instantly