ad hoc
The term "ad hoc" comes from Latin, meaning "for this," and is used to describe something created or done for a specific, often immediate, purpose.
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Definition
B2General
(common)Created or done for a specific purpose as the need arises.
Example
- The team formed an ad hoc committee to address the urgent issue.
B2General
(common)Impromptu or improvised, often without prior planning.
Example
- They held an ad hoc meeting to discuss the unexpected problem.
C1Scientific
(technical)A hypothesis added to a theory solely to prevent it from being disproven, without providing new predictions.
Example
- The scientist proposed an ad hoc explanation to account for the anomaly in the data.
C1Networking
(technical)A network formed spontaneously without a pre-existing infrastructure.
Example
- The devices connected through an ad hoc network to share files.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "ad hoc":