Instance \In"stance\, n. [F. instance, L. instantia, fr.
   instans. See Instant.]
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   1. The act or quality of being instant or pressing; urgency;
      solicitation; application; suggestion; motion.
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            Undertook at her instance to restore them. --Sir W.
                                                  Scott.
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   2. That which is instant or urgent; motive. [Obs.]
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            The instances that second marriage move
            Are base respects of thrift, but none of love.
                                                  --Shak.
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   3. Occasion; order of occurrence.
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            These seem as if, in the time of Edward I., they
            were drawn up into the form of a law, in the first
            instance.                             --Sir M. Hale.
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   4. That which offers itself or is offered as an illustrative
      case; something cited in proof or exemplification; a case
      occurring; an example; as, we could find no instance of
      poisoning in the town within the past year.
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            Most remarkable instances of suffering. --Atterbury.
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   5. A token; a sign; a symptom or indication. --Shak.
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   Causes of instance, those which proceed at the solicitation
      of some party. --Hallifax.

   Court of first instance, the court by which a case is first
      tried.

   For instance, by way of example or illustration; for
      example.

   Instance Court (Law), the Court of Admiralty acting within
      its ordinary jurisdiction, as distinguished from its
      action as a prize court.

   Syn: Example; case. See Example.
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	Instance \In"stance\, v. i.
   To give an example. [Obs.]
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         This story doth not only instance in kingdoms, but in
         families too.                            --Jer. Taylor.
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	Instance \In"stance\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Instanced; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Instancing.]
   To mention as a case or example; to refer to; to cite; as, to
   instance a fact. --H. Spenser.
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         I shall not instance an abstruse author. --Milton.
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	instance
     n 1: an occurrence of something; "it was a case of bad judgment";
          "another instance occurred yesterday"; "but there is
          always the famous example of the Smiths" [syn: case, example]
     2: an item of information that is representative of a type;
        "this patient provides a typical example of the syndrome";
        "there is an example on page 10" [syn: example, illustration,
         representative]
     v : clarify by giving an example of [syn: exemplify, illustrate]

	

	97 Moby Thesaurus words for "instance":
   abetment, adduce, anatomize, article, as an example, aspect,
   atomize, call to mind, case, case history, case in point,
   circumstantiate, citation, cite, cite a particular, count,
   cross reference, datum, demonstrate, demonstration,
   descend to particulars, detail, document, element, emblem,
   encouragement, enter into detail, event, example, exemplar,
   exemplification, exemplify, explanation, exponent, facet, fact,
   factor, for example, for instance, give a for-instance,
   give full particulars, goading, ground, illustrate, illustration,
   improper suggestion, incidental, indecent proposal, insistence,
   item, itemize, matter, minor detail, minutia, minutiae, motion,
   name, needling, object lesson, occurrence, particular,
   particularize, pass, point, precedent, pressing, pressure,
   pricking, prodding, proof, proposal, proposition, quotation, quote,
   reason, reference, regard, relevant instance, representative,
   request, resolution, respect, sample, sampling, say,
   sexual advance, specify, specimen, spell out, spurring,
   substantiate, suggestion, symbol, thing, type, typical example,
   urging

	

	instance
     
         An individual object of a certain class.
        While a class is just the type definition, an actual usage of
        a class is called "instance".  Each instance of a class can
        have different values for its instance variables, i.e. its
        state.
     
        (1998-03-06)

	

	INSTANCE, civil and French law. It signifies, generally, all sorts of 
actions and judicial demands. Dig. 44, 7, 58.