extemporaneous, impromptu
- extemporaneous, impromptu
These words are applied to something said or done without special or advance preparation, as one might make a speech or perform some act on the "spur of the moment" (the meaning of extemporaneous in Latin). Extemporaneous is especially applied to an unmemorized speech given from notes or an outline: "Following the main address, someone in the audience began a heated extemporaneous discussion of the issues." Impromptu, derived from a Latin phrase meaning "in readiness," is applied to a speech given, a poem recited, or a song sung without advance notice or warning: "Although she was startled, Cissy gave an excellent impromptu talk."
Dictionary of problem words and expressions.
Harry Shaw.
1975.
Look at other dictionaries:
extemporaneous — extemporaneously, adv. extemporaneousness, extemporaneity /ik stem peuh reuh nee i tee/, n. /ik stem peuh ray nee euhs/, adj. 1. done, spoken, performed, etc., without special advance preparation; impromptu: an extemporaneous speech. 2.… … Universalium
extemporaneous — ex•tem•po•ra•ne•ous [[t]ɪkˌstɛm pəˈreɪ ni əs[/t]] adj. 1) done, spoken, or performed without preparation; impromptu: an extemporaneous speech[/ex] 2) prepared in advance but delivered using few or no notes: extemporaneous lectures[/ex] 3)… … From formal English to slang
impromptu — See extemporaneous. See extemporaneous, impromptu … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
impromptu — I. noun Etymology: French, from impromptu extemporaneously, from Latin in promptu in readiness Date: 1683 1. something that is impromptu 2. a musical composition suggesting improvisation II. adjective Date: 1764 1. made, done, or formed on or as… … New Collegiate Dictionary
extemporaneous — See extemporaneous, impromptu … Dictionary of problem words and expressions
extemporaneous — extemporaneous, extempore, extemporary, improvised, impromptu, offhand, unpremeditated mean composed, concocted, devised, or done at the moment rather than beforehand. Extemporaneous, extempore, and extemporary in their more general applications… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Extemporaneous Commentary — (or extemp com for short) is a branch off normal extemporaneous speaking, an area of competition in high school forensics. Students participating in extemporaneous commentary are given 20 minutes to prepare a five to seven minute speech (with a… … Wikipedia
extemporaneous — [eks΄tem΄ pə rā′nē əs, ik stem΄pə rā′nē əs] adj. [LL extemporaneus: see EXTEMPORE] 1. made, done, or spoken without any preparation; unpremeditated; offhand [an extemporaneous speech] 2. spoken with some preparation but not written out or… … English World dictionary
Impromptu speaking — is a speech and debate consolation event that involves an eight minute speech, with up to three of these eight minutes available for use as preparation time (known as prep time, or simply prep). At the college level, the speaker is granted seven… … Wikipedia
Extemporaneous preaching — is a style of preaching that was popular in the late 1800s among Baptist (Primitive Baptist especially), Methodist, Unitarian, and some Presbyterians preachersFact|date=April 2007. Some of the more famous preachers who employed it were Charles… … Wikipedia
