instance

 
Pronunciation: /ˈɪnst(ə)ns/

noun

  • an example or single occurrence of something: a serious instance of corruption the search finds every instance where the word appears
  • a particular case: in this instance it mattered little

verb

[with object]
  • cite (a fact, case, etc.) as an example: I instanced Bob as someone whose commitment had certainly got things done

Phrases

at first instance

Law at the first court hearing concerning a case. See also court of first instance.

at the instance of

formal at the request or instigation of: prosecution at the instance of the police

for instance

as an example: take Canada, for instance

in the first (or second etc.) instance

in the first (or second etc.) place or stage of a proceeding: the appointment will be for three years in the first instance

Origin:

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’