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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary in·stinct
ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Latin instinctus impulse, from instinguere to incite; akin to Latin instigare to instigate DATE 15th century 1. a natural or inherent aptitude, impulse, or capacity had an instinct for the right word 2. a. a largely inheritable and unalterable tendency of an organism to make a complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reason b. behavior that is mediated by reactions below the conscious level • in·stinc·tu·al·ly adverb
DATE 1667 1. obsolete : impelled by an inner or animating or exciting agency 2. profoundly imbued : infused my mood, instinct with romance — S. J. Perelman English Etymology instinct 1412, "a prompting," from L. instinctus "instigation, impulse," pp.of instinguere "to incite, impel," from in- "on" + stinguere "prick, goad" (see instigation). Sense of "innate tendency" is first recorded 1568, from notion of "natural prompting." Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 instinct in·stinct / 5instiNkt / noun[U, C] 1. ~ (for sth / for doing sth) | ~ (to do sth) a natural tendency for people and animals to behave in a particular way using the knowledge and abilities that they were born with rather than thought or training 本能；天性: maternal instincts 母性 Children do not know by instinct the difference between right and wrong. 儿童并非生来就会分辨是非。 His first instinct was to run away. 他的本能反应就是逃跑。 Horses have a well-developed instinct for fear. 马天性易受惊吓。 Even at school, he showed he had an instinct for (= was naturally good at) business. 他早在求学时期就表现出有经商的天赋。 2. ~ (that ...) a feeling that makes you do sth or believe that sth is true, even though it is not based on facts or reason 直觉 SYN intuition : Her instincts had been right. 她当时的直觉是对的。 Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English instinct noun ADJ. deep, powerful, strong | gut | first, initial His first instinct was to run away from danger. | good, unerring Against her better instincts, she ran back into the burning house to save some of her jewellery. He had an unerring instinct for when people were lying to him. | base | basic | natural | primitive | creative | aggressive, competitive | maternal, mothering, protective | fighting, hunting, killer, predatory (often figurative) He plays well but lacks that killer instinct that wins matches. | survival | herd What makes all these people come to the club? In my view it's the herd instinct. | sexual | business, commercial, political | animal, human VERB + INSTINCT have | lack | develop In negotiating you have to develop an instinct for when to be tough and when to make a deal. | follow, go on, obey, rely on, trust Why don't you just follow your natural instincts? | ignore, suppress | satisfy | appeal to They accused the campaign of appealing to the electorate's baser instincts. | share Both superpowers shared the same instinct for self-preservation. INSTINCT + VERB tell sb sth Her instinct told her that she was being followed. | guide sb Artists have to learn to be guided by their instincts. | take over Her instincts took over and she dived on the escaping thief. | be right/wrong I've trusted my instincts in the past and they've usually been right. PREP. by ~ Babies know by instinct who their mother is. | on ~ I acted purely on instinct. | ~ for He's got an instinct for survival in a tough job. Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged Search result show the entry is found in: life instinct , or killer instinct , or death instinct , or herd instinct in·stinct I. \ˈinz(ˌ)tiŋ(k)t, -_tēŋ-, ˈin(ˌ)st-\ noun (-s) Etymology: Middle English, from Latin instinctus, from instinctus (past participle) 1. obsolete : instigation , impulse 2. : a natural or inherent aptitude, tendency, impulse, or capacity < an instinct for the right word > < his instinct toward success > < the religious instincts of primitive peoples > 3. a. : complex and specific response on the part of an organism to environmental stimuli that is largely hereditary and unalterable though the pattern of behavior through which it is expressed may be modified by learning, that does not involve reason, and that has as its goal the removal of a somatic tension or excitation b. : behavior that is mediated by reactions (as reflex arcs) below the conscious level — usually not used technically II. \(ˈ)inz|tiŋ(k)t, ə̇nzˈt-, -n|sti-\ adjective Etymology: Latin instinctus, past participle of instinguere to instigate, incite; akin to Latin instigare to instigate, incite — more at stick 1. obsolete : implanted by nature : innate 2. obsolete : impelled by an inner or animating or exciting agency 3. : profoundly imbued : filled , charged — usually used postpositively and with with < a spirit instinct with human kindness > < instinct with patriotism > III. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: Latin instinctus (past participle) 1. obsolete : instigate , impel 2. obsolete : to implant as an animating power |
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