impromptu

Etymology

It is borrowed from French impromptu,^{[2][3][4][5][6][7]} from the phrase Latin in prōmptū (“in readiness, at hand”) in Latin,^[8][2][3] with prōmptū, the ablative of prōmptus (“readiness”), from the past participle of prōmō (“to bring out”),^[3][4][5] which is formed from prō (“forth”) and emō (“to take, obtain”).^[2][4][9] The OED takes it directly from the Latin phrase, written as one word with n changed to m as in French, where Molière used it in 1659;^[8] Etymonline dates the French word to the 1650s.^[2] It is related to prompt.^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

As an adverb, without preparation, on the spur of the moment: 1669, in a letter of Lady Chaworth.^[8][4][2]

Semantic evolution

The noun, something composed or spoken without preparation, followed in 1683, in The Whole Art of Converse,^[8][10] and later named a musical composition with the character of an improvisation.^[8][10][11] The adjective is recorded from 1764, of something made or done for the occasion, makeshift,^{[8][4][2][10]} and in Piozzi (1789) of something composed or spoken off-hand.^[8] A verb, to improvise, is recorded from 1802.^[8]

Timeline

• 1669 – adverb, without preparation.^[8][4]
• 1683 – noun, an improvised composition or performance.^[8][10]
• 1764 – adjective, made or done on the spur of the moment.^[8][4][10]
• 1789 – adjective, composed or uttered off-hand.^[8]
• 1802 – verb, to improvise.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Done or said without preparation or rehearsal; spontaneous or improvised: The coach gave an impromptu speech after the match.^[11][10][8]
2. Made in haste for the occasion; makeshift.^[10][8]

Adverb

1. Without preparation; on the spur of the moment.^[11][10][8]

Noun

1. Something done, said or composed without preparation.^[11][10][8]
2. A short piece of instrumental music in the free style of an improvisation.^[11][10][8]

Verb

1. (rare) To improvise or extemporize.^[10][8]

Related words

• prompt
• exempt

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
4. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
6. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
11. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins