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Extemporize

[ik-STEM-pə-riyz]

Part of speech: verb

Origin: Latin, 17th century

1.

Compose or perform something such as music or a speech without preparation; improvise.

Examples of Extemporize in a sentence

"Amelia had to extemporize her work at the poetry slam."

"Joining an improv group is a great way to learn how to extemporize."

About Extemporize

This word was formed by combining the Latin “ex tempore,” which means “instantaneously,” along with “-ize,” a verb-forming suffix.

Did you Know?

“Extemporize” is part of a collection of words stemming from the Latin root “ex tempore,” meaning “on the spur of the moment.” The phrase “ex tempore” was formed by combining the suffix “ex-” with “tempus,” a noun meaning “time.” “Ex tempore” was adopted into the English language as “extemporaneously” and its rarely used synonyms, “extemporary” and “extemporal.”

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