A particular example or case of something happening. It often introduces a specific situation to illustrate a general point.
From Latin 'instantia' meaning 'vigor, urgency, instance', from 'instare' (to stand upon, press upon). It came into English via Old French with the sense of a specific occurrence.
In everyday speech, an ‘instance’ is just an example, but in computing it’s a specific copy of something (like a program or object) that’s actually running. The word quietly connects logic, language, and software design.
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