Instinct — Defs

01 a. Urged or stimulated from within; naturally moved or impelled; imbued; animated; alive; quick; as, birds instinct with life.

1.
Urged or stimulated from within; naturally moved or impelled; imbued; animated; alive; quick; as, birds instinct with life.
“The chariot of paternal deity . . . Itself instinct with spirit, but convoyed By four cherubic shapes.” — Milton.

“A noble performance, instinct with sound principle.” — Brougham.

02 n. Natural inward impulse; unconscious, involuntary, or unreasoning prompting to any mode of action, whether bodily, or mental, without a dist…

1.
Natural inward impulse; unconscious, involuntary, or unreasoning prompting to any mode of action, whether bodily, or mental, without a distinct apprehension of the end or object to be accomplished.
“An instinct is a propensity prior to experience, and independent of instructions.” — Paley.

“An instinct is a blind tendency to some mode of action, independent of any consideration, on the part of the agent, of the end to which the action leads.” — Whately.

“An instinct is an agent which performs blindly and ignorantly a work of intelligence and knowledge.” — Sir W. Hamilton.

“By a divine instinct, men's minds mistrust Ensuing dangers.” — Shak.
2.
Specif., the natural, unreasoning, impulse by which an animal is guided to the performance of any action, without thought of improvement in the method.(Zool.)
“The resemblance between what originally was a habit, and an instinct becomes so close as not to be distinguished.” — Darwin.
3.
A natural aptitude or knack; a predilection; as, an instinct for order; to be modest by instinct.

03 v. t. To impress, as an animating power, or instinct.