Meaning

noun a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

noun a particular point in time

adjective occurring with no delay

originFrom Middle English instant (“infinitely short period of time”), from Old French instant (“assiduous, at hand”, adjective), from Latin īnstāns, īnstantis (“present, pressing, urgent”, literally “standing near”), present active participle of īnstō (“to stand upon, be nearby”), from in- (“after”) + stō (“to stand”). Compare Old English instede (“immediately, on the spot, at once”). More at in,…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0