[ad. L. type *spontāneitas, f. spontāne-us. So F. spontanéité, It. spontaneità, Sp. espontaneidad, Pg. -idade.]
1. Spontaneous, or voluntary and unconstrained, action on the part of persons; the fact of possessing this character or quality.
1651. C. Cartwright, Cert. Relig., I. 181. Thus we see how Bernard doth agree with Calvin in making the freedome of mans will to consist in a spontaneity, and a freedom from coaction.
1681. Flavel, Meth. Grace, xxix. 504. He laid down his life with the greatest chearfulness and spontaneity that could be.
1702. trans. Le Clerc’s Prim. Fathers, 348. Freedom, in his Opinion, is only a meer Spontaneity, and doth not imply a Power of not doing what one doth.
1789. Belsham, Ess., I. ix. 171. Physical liberty; by which he means the principle of spontaneity.
1804–6. Syd. Smith, Mor. Philos., xvii. (1850), 251. Actions performed without the spontaneity of the agent, are automatic.
1851. Carlyle, Sterling, III. vii. The general aspect of him indicated freedom, perfect spontaneity, with a certain careless natural grace.
1899. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., VIII. 302. There is less energy and less spontaneity and originality.
2. Spontaneous or voluntary action or movement on the part of animals (or plants); activity of physical organs in the absence of any obvious external stimulus.
1721. J. Clarke, Orig. Mor. Evil, 113. Because they [animals] have not the Power of abstract Reasoning, nor the same Understanding and Sense of Moral Good and Evil, which is in Men; therefore we call it generally Spontaneity.
1789. E. Darwin, Bot. Gard., II. (1791), 153. See note on Collinsonia for other instances of vegetable spontaneity.
1793. Cowper, Lett., 23 Feb. Considering more nearly, I found it [a minnow] alive, and endued with spontaneity.
1837. P. Keith, Bot. Lex., 340. We regard the term Spontaneity as being less exceptionable than that of Instinct; but still it is a spontaneity that feeling has nothing to do with.
1866. J. Martineau, Ess., I. 168. The instincts and spontaneities of animals.
1877. M. Foster, Physiol., III. v. (1878), 472. How absolutely devoid of spontaneity or irregular automatism is the spinal cord of the frog.
3. The fact or quality in things of being spontaneous in respect of production, occurrence, etc.
1751. Johnson, Rambler, No. 131, ¶ 12. Community of possession must include spontaneity of production.
1794. Mrs. Piozzi, Synon., II. 361. We cannot commend the opulence of the ground, but its richness and spontaneity.
1823. Chalmers, Serm., I. 129. Every constitutional desire would run out in the unchecked spontaneity of its own movements.
1899. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., VI. 546. The most conspicuous feature of these [tabetic] fractures is their spontaneity.
b. The fact or quality of coming without deep thought or premeditation.
1826. J. Gilchrist, Lect., 35, note. Many remarks … to which we had given some credit for originality and spontaneity.
1839. Hallam, Hist. Lit., III. v. § 7. Poets who, delighted with the spontaneity of their ideas, never reject any that arise.
1873. Symonds, Grk. Poets, i. 2. Those poems of nascent nations,… marvellous in their infantine spontaneity.
