Where does “instant karma” come from?
instant karma (English) comes from English instant, from Middle English instant, from Old French instant, from Latin īnstāns, from Latin stō, from Proto-Italic staēō, from Proto-Indo-European sth₂éh₁yeti, from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-.
instant karma (English): A circumstance where something deserving but unexpected happens, especially, when a person's actions backfire and cause an immediate unforeseen and unintended effect that may be deemed just deserts for those actions
Definitions
- A circumstance where something deserving but unexpected happens, especially, when a person's actions backfire and cause an immediate unforeseen and unintended effect that may be deemed just deserts for those actions
Ancestry of “instant karma”, step by step
instant karma traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English instant
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | instant | A very short period of time; a moment; A single,... |
| 2 | Middle English | instant | infinitely short period of time |
| 3 | Old French | instant | assiduous, at hand |
| 4 | Latin | īnstāns | standing or pressing upon |
| 5 | Latin | stō | to stand |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | staēō | stand |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sth₂éh₁yeti | to stand |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |