INSTANT

clamant, crying, exigent, insistent, instant

(adjective) demanding attention; “clamant needs”; “a crying need”; “regarded literary questions as exigent and momentous”- H.L.Mencken; “insistent hunger”; “an instant need”

instantaneous, instant

(adjective) occurring with no delay; “relief was instantaneous”; “instant gratification”

instant, inst

(adjective) in or of the present month; “your letter of the 10th inst”

moment, minute, second, instant

(noun) a particular point in time; “the moment he arrived the party began”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Noun

instant (plural instants)

A very short period of time; a moment.

A single, usually precise, point in time.

A beverage or food which has been pre-processed to reduce preparation time, especially instant coffee.

Ellipsis of instant camera.

Etymology 2

Adjective

instant (not comparable)

(dated) Impending; imminent.

Synonyms: pending, proximate, Thesaurus:impending

(dated) Urgent; pressing; acute.

(dated) Insistent; persistent.

Synonyms: exigent, imperious, Thesaurus:urgent

(legal) Present; current; extant.

Occurring immediately; immediate; present.

Synonyms: instantaneous, Thesaurus:instantaneous

Lasting for a short moment; momentary; short-lived.

Synonyms: brief, transient, Thesaurus:ephemeral

Very quickly and easily prepared.

Of the current month.

Synonym: inst.

Adverb

instant (not comparable)

(poetic) At once; immediately.

Source: Wiktionary

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In"stant, a. Etym: [L. instans, -antis, p. pr. of instare to stand upon, to press upon; pref. in- in, on + stare to stand: cf. F. in. 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.

In"stant, adv.

Definition: Instantly. [Poetic] Instant he flew with hospitable haste. Pope.

In"stant, n. Etym: [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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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