| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| immediate |
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| SYLLABICATION: | im·me·di·ate |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   -m  d-t |
| ADJECTIVE: | 1. Occurring at once; instant: gave me an immediate response. 2a. Of or near the present time: in the immediate future. b. Of or relating to the present time and place; current: “It is probable that, apart from the most immediate, pragmatic, technical revisions, the writer's effort to detach himself from his work is quixotic” (Joyce Carol Oates). 3. Close at hand; near: in the immediate vicinity. See synonyms at close. 4. Next in line or relation: is an immediate successor to the president of the company. 5. Directly apprehended or perceived: had immediate awareness of the scope of the crisis. 6. Acting or occurring without the interposition of another agency or object; direct. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English immediat, from Old French, from Late Latin immedi tus : Latin in-, not; see in–1 + Latin meditus, past participle of medire, to be in the middle; see mediate. | | OTHER FORMS: | im·medi·ate·ness —NOUN
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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