[im.me.di.ate] adj [ME, fr. LL immediatus, fr. L in- + LL mediatus intermediate--more at mediate] (15c) 1 a: acting or being without the intervention of another object, cause, or agency: direct "the ~ cause of death" b: present to the mind independently of other states or factors "~ awareness" c: involving or derived from a single premise "an ~ inference"
2: being next in line or relation "the ~ family" 3 a: existing without intervening space or substance "brought into ~ contact" b: being near at hand "the ~ neighborhood"
4. a: occurring, acting, or accomplished without loss or interval of time: instant "an ~ need" b (1): near to or related to the present "the ~ past" (2): of or relating to the here and now: current "too busy with ~ concerns to worry about the future"
5: directly touching or concerning a person or thing "the child's ~ world is the classroom"