The chariot of paternal deity . . . Itself instinct
with spirit, but convoyed By four cherubic shapes.
--Milton.
A noble performance, instinct with sound principle.
--Brougham.
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. (Zo["o]l.) Specif., the natural, unreasoning, impulse by
which an animal is guided to the performance of any
action, without of improvement in the method.
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.