instantiate

English

Alternative forms

• instanciate

Etymology

From Latin instāntia +‎ -ate (verb-forming suffix). By surface analysis, instance +‎ -ate.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈstænʃieɪt/

Verb

instantiate (third-person singular simple present instantiates, present participle instantiating, simple past and past participle instantiated)

1. (transitive) To represent (a concept, theme, or principle) by an instance. [from 20th c.]

   To see and test the result of one's CSS for any particular HTML element, one must instantiate that element in a document.

   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 195:

     In the eighteenth century, this was instantiated in writings which developed the view that ‘savages’ exhibited more virtue and moral nobility than their conquerors.

2. (transitive, object-oriented programming) To create an object (an instance) of a specific class. [from 20th c.]

   To instantiate a class, we call its constructor.

Synonyms

• (represent by a concrete instance): exemplify, embody, realize, channel

Derived terms

• coinstantiate
• coinstantiation
• instantiable
• instantiatable
• instantiation
• reinstantiate
• reinstantiation

Related terms

• coinstantial
• instantial

Translations

to represent by a concrete instance

• Finnish: ilmentää (fi), toteuttaa (fi)
• French: instancier (fr)
• German: instanziieren
• Hungarian: (to be an instance of or serve as an example) ^{(please verify)} példaként szolgál, (to illustrate by example) ^{(please verify)} példával szemléltet, ^{(please verify)} példaként hoz/felhoz/említ/bemutat
• Spanish: instanciar
• Swedish: exemplifiera (sv)
• Ukrainian: ілюструвати прикладом (iljustruvaty prykladom)

to create an object of a specific class

• Finnish: luoda ilmentymä, instantioida
• French: instancier (fr)
• Greek: προτυποποιώ (el) (protypopoió)
• Hebrew: יצר מופע (yatsár mofá)
• Hungarian: ^{(please verify)} példányosít
• Portuguese: instanciar (pt)
• Russian: инстанцировать (ru) (instancirovatʹ)