instantiation

The story

1. Latin · derived fromīnstāns“urgent”
2. Medieval Latin · derived fromīnstantia“a being near, presence; also perseverance, earnestness, importunity, urgency”
3. Middle English · derived frominstance
4. English todayinstantiation

A coinage of the twentieth century, from instantiate + -ion, itself coined in 1946 from instance + -ate. The latter, in the sense "a case, an example", from Middle English instance, from Medieval Latin īnstantia (“a being near, presence; also perseverance, earnestness, importunity, urgency”), from Latin īnstāns (“urgent”); see English instant.

Words from the same roots