ad hoc
advEtymology Learned borrowing from New Latin ad hoc (“to this, for this”).
1
On the spur of the moment.
2
For a particular purpose.
- Synonyms
- ad hocly
ad hoc
adjUK /ˌæd ˈhɒk/ · US /ˌæd ˈhɑk/
Etymology Learned borrowing from New Latin ad hoc (“to this, for this”).
1
For a particular purpose.
2
Created on the spur of the moment; impromptu.
- Over the past 20 years or so, from South America to the Danube basin, ad hoc coalitions of politicians, activists and conscience-stricken billionaires (whose core activities, such as Povlsen’s clothing business, are often less than environmentally friendly), have rewilded millions of acres of mostly failed agricultural and grazing land.2020 February 25, Christopher de Bellaigue, “The end of farming?”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 06 Jan 2026:
3
Sciences Of a hypothesis Postulated solely to save a theory from being falsified, without making any new predictions.
- Contrary to the traditional condoning of ad hoc hypotheses, and in line with Popper's and Grünbaum's approaches, we see, once an ad hoc hypothesis is introduced we are unhappy about it and try to eliminate it.2012 December 6, J. Agassi, Science in Flux, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 197:
4
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Networking, Physical sciences, Sciences Independent of previously instated network structure, like routers or access points.
- An ad hoc network is a group of wireless mobile nodes dynamically forming a temporary network without any fixed infrastructure or centralized administration. The applications for ad hoc networks have grown tremendously with the increase in the use of wireless sensor networks.2007 April 23, Jagannathan Sarangapani, Wireless Ad hoc and Sensor Networks: Protocols, Performance, and Control, CRC Press, →ISBN, page 233:
- Derived terms
- ad hocery, ad hocism, ad hocness, adhocracy, adhocrat, adhocratic