Etymologically
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instans

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Forms

īnstāns (genitive īnstantis, adverb īnstanter); third-declension one-termination participle[1]

Etymology

It is the present participle of īnstō “to stand on, press on, be at hand”, from in- and stō “to stand”.[2][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler's first source is Cicero, whom he dates 81–43 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective it meant present, at hand, as in Cicero; in Quintilian tempus īnstāns is the present time.[5] The comparative īnstantior meant more urgent, more pressing, of people in Tacitus and of situations in Quintilian.[2]

Medieval scholastic Latin used īnstāns as a noun for an instant, a moment.[4] Through Old French instant “near, urgent” it gave English instant in the late 14th century, “a moment in time”.[3]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of the present.[4][5]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses the comparative of people.[2][4]
  • late 14th century – English instant is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Present, at hand, tempus īnstāns, the present.[5]
  2. Urgent, pressing.[2]

Noun

  1. (Medieval Latin) An instant, moment.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.