ad hoc

[ad hok; Latin ahd hohk] /æd ˈhɒk; Latin ɑd ˈhoʊk/
adverb
1.
for the special purpose or end presently under consideration:
a committee formed ad hoc to deal with the issue.
adjective
2.
concerned or dealing with a specific subject, purpose, or end:
The ad hoc committee disbanded after making its final report.
Origin
1550-60; < Latin ad hōc for this
Can be confused
Examples from the web for ad hoc
  • Yet most of us still have a bunch of ad hoc stuff that doesn't work together.
  • The smallest of policy decisions are made through faculty governance and ad hoc committees.
  • Other collaborations between studio members are more ad hoc, especially when somebody's got a lot to do in a hurry.
  • In fact, the very act of paying federal bills creates money ad hoc.
  • Search tools dispense with categories and let users define their needs ad hoc.
  • It is a nonsequitur to introduce the evolutionary origins of fruit with the ad hoc benefits of spices.
  • But the ad hoc coalition of radio scientists did like the idea of setting up a new heater in Alaska.
  • Their main attraction is in encouraging ad hoc file sharing and communications among work-groups.
  • The ad hoc network of power plants provides a surprising amount of juice.
  • The ad hoc nature of our spousal appointments also increased the resistance of some departments to hiring the partners.
British Dictionary definitions for ad hoc

ad hoc

/æd ˈhɒk/
adjective, adverb
1.
for a particular purpose only; lacking generality or justification: an ad hoc decision, an ad hoc committee
Word Origin
Latin, literally: to this
Word Origin and History for ad hoc

Latin, literally "for this (specific purpose)."

ad hoc in Culture
ad hoc [(ad hok, ad hohk)]

A phrase describing something created especially for a particular occasion: “We need an ad hoc committee to handle this new problem immediately.” From Latin, meaning “toward this (matter).”

ad hoc in Technology


Contrived purely for the purpose in hand rather than planned carefully in advance. E.g. "We didn't know what to do about the sausage rolls, so we set up an ad-hoc committee".
(1995-03-25)

Idioms and Phrases with ad hoc

ad hoc

For the special purpose or end at hand; also, by extension, improvised or impromptu. The term, Latin for “to this,” is most often used for committees established for a specific purpose, as in The committee was formed ad hoc to address health insurance problems. The term is also used as an adjective (An ad hoc committee was formed), and has given rise to the noun adhocism for the tendency to use temporary, provisional, or improvised methods to deal with a particular problem. [ Early 1600s ]