Immediacy

Etymology

Middle English immediat, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin immediatus, from Latin in- + Late Latin mediatus intermediate

• Date: 15th century

Definitions

• 1 a : acting or being without the intervention of another object, cause, or agency : direct <the immediate cause of death>

b : present to the mind independently of other states or factors <immediate awareness> c : involving or derived from a single premise <an immediate inference>

• 2 : being next in line or relation <the immediate family>
• 3 a : existing without intervening space or substance <brought into immediate contact>

b : being near at hand <the immediate neighborhood>

4 a : occurring, acting, or accomplished without loss or interval of time : instant <an immediate need>

b (1) : near to or related to the present <the immediate past> (2) : of or relating to the here and now : current <too busy with immediate concerns to worry about the future>

• 5 : directly touching or concerning a person or thing <the child's immediate world is the classroom>