Happening immediately without any delay or pause in time.
From Latin 'instans' meaning 'pressing upon' or 'urgent,' literally 'standing upon.' The word evolved through Old French 'instant' in the 14th century, originally meaning 'present moment' before acquiring its modern sense of immediacy.
The word 'instant' originally referred to an indivisible moment of time in medieval philosophy, so small it couldn't be measured. This connects to our modern 'instant' foods and messages - the idea of something happening in an unmeasurable slice of time has remained constant for centuries.
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