| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| impromptu |
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| SYLLABICATION: | im·promp·tu |
| PRONUNCIATION: |   m-pr mp t , -ty |
| ADJECTIVE: | 1. Prompted by the occasion rather than being planned in advance: an impromptu party. 2. Spoken, performed, done, or composed with little or no preparation; extemporaneous: a few impromptu remarks. See synonyms at extemporaneous. | | ADVERB: | With little or no preparation; extemporaneously. | | NOUN: | 1. Something, such as a speech, that is made or done extemporaneously. 2. Music A short composition, especially for the piano, performed in an offhand or extemporized style. | | ETYMOLOGY: | French, from Latin in pr mpt , at hand : in, in; see in–2 + prmpt, ablative of prmptus, readiness, from past participle of prmere, to bring forth. See prompt.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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