spontaneous

EnglishEdit

EtymologyEdit

Late Latin spontāneus, from Latin sponte (suā) ‎(“of one's free will, voluntarily”).

PronunciationEdit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /spɒnˈteɪ.ni.əs/
(US) IPA^(key): /spɑnˈteɪ.ni.əs/
Rhymes: -eɪniəs
Audio (US)
(file)

AdjectiveEdit

spontaneous ‎(comparative more spontaneous, superlative most spontaneous)

Self-generated; happening without any apparent external cause.
He made a spontaneous offer of help.
Done by one's own free choice, or without planning.
proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external or conscious constraint
arising from a momentary impulse
controlled and directed internally; self-active; spontaneous movement characteristic of living things
produced without being planted or without human labor; indigenous
a spontaneous growth of wood
Random.
Sudden, without warning.

SynonymsEdit

(self-generated): autonomous
(done by one's own free choice): autonomous
(proceeding from natural feeling...): autonomous

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

spontaneous combustion

TranslationsEdit

self generated; happening without any apparent external cause

Assamese: স্বতঃস্ফুৰ্ট
Chinese: 自发的 (zh)
Czech: spontánní
Finnish: spontaani (fi)
French: spontané (fr), volontaire (fr)
German: spontan (de)
Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) m ‎(afthórmitos), εθελοντικός (el) m ‎(ethelontikós)
Hungarian: spontán (hu)
Italian: spontaneo (it)
Malay: spontan
Norwegian:
Bokmål: spontan (no)

Nynorsk: spontan

Polish: spontaniczny (pl) m, samorzutny m (physics, chemistry)
Portuguese: espontâneo (pt)
Romanian: spontan (ro) m
Russian: спонта́нный (ru) ‎(spontánnyj), самопроизво́льный (ru) ‎(samoproizvólʹnyj)
Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh)
Spanish: espontáneo (es)
Swedish: spontan (sv)
Tagalog: kusa (tl)
Turkish: kendiliğinden (tr), spontan (tr)

done by one's own free choice, or without planning

Czech: spontánní
Finnish: spontaani (fi), oma-aloitteinen (fi), omaehtoinen
French: spontané (fr)
German: spontan (de)
Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) m ‎(afthórmitos), αβίαστος (el) m ‎(avíastos)
Hungarian: spontán (hu)
Italian: spontaneo (it) m

Polish: spontaniczny (pl) m
Portuguese: espontâneo (pt)
Romanian: spontan (ro) m
Russian: доброво́льный (ru) ‎(dobrovólʹnyj)
Scottish Gaelic: saor-thoileach
Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh)
Swedish: spontan (sv)

proceeding from natural feeling or native tendency without external constraint

Assamese: সহজাত
Czech: spontánní
French: spontané (fr)

Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) m ‎(afthórmitos), πηγαίος (el) m ‎(pigaíos), ενστικτώδης (el) m ‎(enstiktódis)
Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh)
Swedish: spontan (sv)

arising from a momentary impulse

Czech: impulzivní
Finnish: impulsiivinen (fi)
French: impulsif (fr)

Greek: παρορμητικός (el) m ‎(parormitikós), αυθόρμητος (el) m ‎(afthórmitos)
Serbo-Croatian: spȍntān (sh), ȉmpulzīvan (sh)
Swedish: spontan (sv)

controlled and directed internally

French: réflexe (fr)
Greek: ακούσιος (el) m ‎(akoúsios)

Swedish: reflexmässig

produced without being planted or without human labor

Finnish: luonnollinen (fi)

French: indigène (fr), endémique (fr)

not apparently contrived or manipulated

Finnish: spontaani (fi)
French: naturel (fr), spontané (fr)

Greek: αυθόρμητος (el) m ‎(afthórmitos), φυσικός (el) m ‎(fysikós)

random — see random

sudden, without warning

Finnish: yllättävä (fi), äkillinen (fi)
French: soudain (fr)
Greek: ξαφνικός (el) m ‎(xafnikós)
Hungarian: spontán (hu)

Norwegian:
Bokmål: plutselig (no) m, f, n

Nynorsk: plutseleg m, f, n
Persian: خود جوش، داوطلبانه، ناگهانی

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Dutch: ^{(please verify)} spontaan

Spanish: ^{(please verify)} espontáneo