instinct English · revision 15393

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1412–20|origins=ine-pro *(s)teyg-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈɪn.stɪŋkt/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|īnstīnctus|t=instigation, impulse]], the noun use of the past participle of [[m|la|īnstinguō|t=to incite, impel]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(Cresswell 2021) from [[m|la|in-|t=into, upon]] and [[m|la|stinguō|t=to prick, goad]],^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(NODE 1998) from [[ine-pro|*(s)teyg-|t=to prick, pierce]] (see [[stick]]).^(Etymonline) It is related to [[instigate]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A prompting or impulse, a sense now obsolete: before 1420, in Lydgate's ''Troy Book'', in Barnhart and the OED.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The animal faculty of intuitive perception, from the idea of a natural prompting, is from the mid-15th century,^(Etymonline) natural impulse or intuitive knowledge in Barnhart about 1454.^(Barnhart 1988) The general sense, a natural tendency, is first recorded in the 1560s,^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) and the instinct of animals, an innate tendency acting without reasoning, from 1596.^(OED 1989) The adjective, innate, is from 1538;^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) ''instinct with'', imbued with, is a recent use.^(OED 1989)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1420 – an impulse.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1454 – intuitive knowledge.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1538 – instinct, innate (adjective).^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1568 – a natural tendency.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1596 – animal instinct.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An inborn pattern of behaviour in animals, as a fixed response to certain [[stimulus|alt=stimuli]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A natural, unreasoned impulse or feeling: ''trust your instincts''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A natural aptitude or knack.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(literary)'' Filled or imbued with: ''instinct with life''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[instinctual]]

+ * [[instinctually]]

+ * [[instinctive]]

+ * [[death instinct]]

+ * [[herd instinct]]

+ * [[killer instinct]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[instigate]]

+ * [[distinguish]]

+ * [[extinguish]]

+ * [[stimulus]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}