English → Latin
“instant” in Latin
vehemēnsvery eager; impetuous, ardent, furious; vehement; emphaticimpendōto spend or expend; to devote (money, time etc.) topraesēnspresent, immediate, at hand, existing; prompt; propitiouspoenapenalty, punishment; hardship, torment; executionmorsdeath; corpse, dead body; annihilation
The English word instant itself goes back to Latin stō, through instans.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
instant adj.
Earnest, vehement, vehemens: impensus (both of entreaties):
Immediate, praesens (e.g., poena, Cic.; mors, Flor.; auxilium, Cic.). Vid: IMMEDIATE.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for instant?
- The usual Latin words for “instant” are vehemēns, impendō, praesēns; also poena, mors. 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.