Impromptu - Definitions from Dictionary.com

7 results for: Impromptu

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

im·promp·tu

Audio Help [im-promp-too, -tyoo] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	made or done without previous preparation: an impromptu address to the unexpected crowds.

2.	suddenly or hastily prepared, made, etc.: an impromptu dinner.

3.	improvised; having the character of an improvisation.

–adverb

4.	without preparation: verses written impromptu.

–noun

5.	something impromptu; an impromptu speech, musical composition, performance, etc.

6.	a character piece for piano common in the 19th century and having, despite its title, a clear-cut form.

[Origin: 1660–70; < F < L in promptū in readiness; see in, prompt

]

—Synonyms 1. See extemporaneous.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Impromptu

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

im·promp·tu Audio Help (ĭm-prŏmp'tōō, -tyōō) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Prompted by the occasion rather than being planned in advance: an impromptu party.
Spoken, performed, done, or composed with little or no preparation; extemporaneous: a few impromptu remarks. See Synonyms at extemporaneous.

adv. With little or no preparation; extemporaneously.

n.

Something, such as a speech, that is made or done extemporaneously.
Music A short composition, especially for the piano, performed in an offhand or extemporized style.

[French, from Latin in prōmptū, at hand : in, in; see in-² + prōmptū, ablative of prōmptus, readiness, from past participle of prōmere, to bring forth; see prompt.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
impromptu

1669 (adv.), 1764 (adj.), from Fr. impromptu (1659), from L. in promptu "in readiness," from in "in" + promptu, abl. of promptus "readiness," from pp. of promere "to bring out," from pro- "before, forward, for" + emere "to obtain" (see exempt).

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

impromptu
adjective
1.	with little or no preparation or forethought; "his ad-lib comments showed poor judgment"; "an extemporaneous piano recital"; "an extemporary lecture"; "an extempore skit"; "an impromptu speech"; "offhand excuses"; "trying to sound offhanded and reassuring"; "an off-the-cuff toast"; "a few unrehearsed comments" [syn: ad-lib]
adverb
1.	without advance preparation; "he spoke ad lib" [syn: ad lib]
noun
1.	an extemporaneous speech or remark; "a witty impromptu must not sound premeditated"
2.	a short musical passage that seems to have been made spontaneously without advance preparation

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
impromptu [imˈpromptjuː] adjective, adverb

(made or done) without preparation beforehand
Example: an impromptu speech; He spoke impromptu for ten minutes.

Arabic:	إرْتِجالي، مُرْتَجَل
Chinese (Simplified):	无准备的（地）
Chinese (Traditional):	無準備的, *地
Czech:	spatra
Danish:	improviseret; spontan; spontant
Dutch:	onvoorbereid
Estonian:	ettevalmistamata
Finnish:	valmistelematon
French:	impromptu
German:	aus dem Stegreif
Greek:	αυτοσχέδιος, απροετοίμαστος, εκ του προχείρου
Hungarian:	rögtönzött
Icelandic:	óundirbúinn
Indonesian:	tanpa persiapan
Italian:	improvvisato; (improvvisando)

Japanese:	即席の
Korean:	즉석의; 즉석에서
Latvian:	improvizēts; nesagatavots; bez sagatavošanās
Lithuanian:	ekspromtu
Norwegian:	improvisert, på stående fot, på strak arm
Polish:	improwizowany
Portuguese (Brazil):	de improviso
Portuguese (Portugal):	improvisado
Romanian:	improvizat
Russian:	импровизированный; экспромтом
Slovak:	z hlavy, improvizovane
Slovenian:	improviziran; brez priprave
Spanish:	improvisado
Swedish:	oförberedd, oförberett, utan förberedelse
Turkish:	hazırlıksız olarak

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Impromptu

Im*promp"tu\, adv. or a. [F. impromptu, fr. L. in promptu in readiness, at hand; in in + promptus visibility, readiness, from promptus visible, ready. See Prompt.] Offhand; without previous study; extemporaneous; extempore; as, an impromptu verse.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Impromptu

Im*promp"tu\, n. 1. Something made or done offhand, at the moment, or without previous study; an extemporaneous composition, address, or remark.

2. (Mus.) A piece composed or played at first thought; a composition in the style of an extempore piece.

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