Immediate means happening or done at once, without any delay. It can also describe something next in line or very close in time, place, or relationship.
From Late Latin "immediatus" meaning "without anything in between," from "in-" (not) and "mediatus" (in the middle), from "medius" (middle). It originally meant "with no middle layer" and then "without delay."
Our brains are wired to care more about immediate rewards than distant ones, which is why long-term goals feel so hard. Modern life constantly feeds us immediate hits—notifications, likes, fast shipping—making patience a kind of superpower.
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