Instance \In"stance\, n. [F. instance, L. instantia, fr.
instans. See Instant.]
1. The act or quality of being instant or pressing; urgency;
solicitation; application; suggestion; motion.
Undertook at her instance to restore them. --Sir W.
Scott.
2. That which is instant or urgent; motive. [Obs.]
The instances that second marriage move Are base
respects of thrift, but none of love. --Shak.
3. Occasion; order of occurrence.
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.
4. That which offers itself or is offered as an illustrative
case; something cited in proof or exemplification; a case
occurring; an example.
Most remarkable instances of suffering. --Atterbury.
5. A token; a sign; a symptom or indication. --Shak.
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.
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.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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