extempore means carried out with no preparation. It carries an Arena rating of 1517, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, extempore ranks #2,019 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #3,983 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #4,803 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #5,003 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
extempore is pronounced /ɛkˈstɛmpəɹi/.
Why “extempore” is a great word
Carried out or spoken without any preparation; improvised. From Latin ex tempore, literally 'out of the time', from ex ("out of") + the ablative singular of tempus ("time, occasion"). Unlike prepared, which denotes studied forethought, or even impromptu, which leans toward casual spontaneity, extempore carries the quiet weight of a minor intellectual feat. It is the lecturer weaving a coherent argument from hastily-scrawled notes, the musician's fingers finding a melody in the same instant the ear receives it, the speaker's perfect reply that arrives only when the moment for preparation has passed—the grace of thought plucked directly from the air of its necessity, shaping time as it passes, breath by breath.
Etymology
From Latin ex (“immediately after”) + tempore, ablative singular of tempus (“time", "opportunity", "occasion”).
adj
- Carried out with no preparation.e.g.“Sheets, tablecloths, white gowns, and pocket-handkerchiefs were instantly in demand, and every one, as has been seen, entered, con amore, into the extempore entertainment of Pandemonic Revels.” — 1833 January, “Pandemonic Revels”, in The Royal Lady’s Magazine, and Archives of the Court of St. James’s, number XXV, London, page 15:
adv
- Without preparation; extemporaneously.
noun
- Something improvised.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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