Spontaneity

Spontaneity
Spontaneity Spon`ta*ne"i*ty (sp[o^]n`t[.a]*n[=e]"[i^]*t[y^]), n.; pl. {Spontaneities} (-t[i^]z). [Cf. F. spontan['e]it['e].] 1. The quality or state of being spontaneous, or acting from native feeling, proneness, or temperament, without constraint or external force. [1913 Webster]

Romney Leigh, who lives by diagrams, And crosses not the spontaneities Of all his individual, personal life With formal universals. --Mrs. Browning. [1913 Webster]

2. (Biol.) (a) The tendency to undergo change, characteristic of both animal and vegetable organisms, and not restrained or checked by the environment. (b) The tendency to activity of muscular tissue, including the voluntary muscles, when in a state of healthful vigor and refreshment. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • spontaneity — index impulse Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • spontaneity — 1650s; see SPONTANEOUS (Cf. spontaneous) + ITY (Cf. ity) …   Etymology dictionary

  • spontaneity — *abandon, *unconstraint Analogous words: spontaneousness, instinctiveness, impulsiveness (see corresponding adjectives at SPONTANEOUS): extem poraneousness, offhandedness, unpremeditatedness (see corresponding adjectives at EXTEMPORANEOUS):… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • spontaneity — spon tǝ nay i ti has largely superseded the traditional pronunciation spon tǝ nee i ti …   Modern English usage

  • spontaneity — [spän΄tə nē′ə tē; ] often [ spän΄tənā′ə tē] n. 1. the state or quality of being spontaneous 2. pl. spontaneities spontaneous behavior, movement, action, etc …   English World dictionary

  • spontaneity — [[t]spɒ̱ntəne͟ɪɪti[/t]] N UNCOUNT Spontaneity is spontaneous, natural behaviour. He had the spontaneity of a child …   English dictionary

  • spontaneity — spontaneous ► ADJECTIVE 1) performed or occurring as a result of an unpremeditated impulse and without external stimulus. 2) open, natural, and uninhibited. 3) (of a process or event) occurring without apparent external cause. 4) Biology (of… …   English terms dictionary

  • spontaneity — noun the quality of being spontaneous and coming from natural feelings without constraint (Freq. 3) the spontaneity of his laughter • Syn: ↑spontaneousness • Derivationally related forms: ↑spontaneous (for: ↑spontaneousness) …   Useful english dictionary

  • spontaneity and spontaneous —    Spontaneity is the quality of being spontaneous: behavior proceeding from natural feeling or from a momentary impulse, without having been planned or labored; developing from within, without apparent external influence, force, cause, or… …   Glossary of Art Terms

  • spontaneity/indifference — The contrast is used by Locke and then Hume in their discussions of free will . Liberty of spontaneity is the freedom to do something if we so choose, and is contrasted with forcible restraint or inability. It is to be distinguished from the… …   Philosophy dictionary

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