English → Latin
“instance” in Latin
nōminōto name, give a name to, call by name; to make famous; to nominate for officecontingōto touch on all sides, take hold of, come into contact with; to reach (by moving), attain to, come to, arrive at, meet wexempluma sample, example; a warning example, deterrent; torture, exemplary penalty, chastisementspecimenmark, token, sign, indication, specimen; example, pattern, model; ornament, honorgrātiagrace; thankfulness; thanks (see grātiās agō, grātiās habeō)veluteven as, as, just as, like, as if; namely, that is to say, to be specific
The English word instance itself goes back to Latin īnstāns, through īnstantia.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
instance v.
nominare: I instanced several persons to whom this had happened, *complures nominavi, quibus id accidisset, or (of a happy occurrence) contigisset (Muret.).
instance s.
Example, exemplum: specimen. [Vid: EXAMPLE.]
For instance, exempli causa or gratia: ut exemplo utar (to take an instance, when an example of the thing meant, whether it be historical or invented, is really quoted): verbi causa: verbi gratia (when a preceding expression is to be explained): ut, (ὡς, when, in reference to the preceding proposition, a single case is added, to explain what was said; ☞ Caes., B.C., 1, 2, in.): velut: veluti. Animals which are born on land, as for instance, crocodiles, bestiae quae gignuntur in terra, veluti crocodili: even the gods waged wars, as for instance, with the giants, dii quoque bella gesserunt, ut cum gigantibus. Sometimes vel is used in this sense; raras tuas quidem sed suaves accipio litteras; vel (as, for instance) quas proxime accepi, quam prudentes, etc. [Pract. Intr. ii. 542]: in his (amongst these; when one or several persons are mentioned, as particular examples of a general statement).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for instance?
- The usual Latin words for “instance” are nōminō, contingō, exemplum; also specimen, grātia, velut. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.