Meaning of instance in English

Table of contents

Verb
instance
Definitions
1. clarify by giving an example of
Derived terms
Noun
instance
Etymology
Middle English: via Old French from Latin instantia‘presence, urgency’, from instare‘be present, press upon’, from in-‘upon’ + stare‘to stand’. The original sense was ‘urgency, urgent entreaty’, surviving in at the instance of. In the late 16th century the word denoted a particular case cited to disprove a general assertion, derived from medieval Latin instantia‘example to the contrary’ (translating Greek enstasis‘objection’); hence the meaning ‘single occurrence’
Definitions
1. an occurrence of something
Examples
- « it was a case of bad judgment »
- « another instance occurred yesterday »
- « but there is always the famous example of the Smiths »
Derived terms
2. an item of information that is representative of a type
Examples
- « this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome »
- « there is an example on page 10 »
Derived terms

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