ad hoc

[ ad hok; Latin ahd hohk ]

/ æd ˈhɒk; Latin ɑd ˈhoʊk /

adverb

for the special purpose or end presently under consideration: a committee formed ad hoc to deal with the issue.

adjective

concerned or dealing with a specific subject, purpose, or end: The ad hoc committee disbanded after making its final report.

QUIZZES

THIS WEEK’S WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ IS POSITIVELY FELICIFIC

Do you study our Words of the Day with great assiduity? See how many you remember from March 30 to April 5!

Question 1 of 7

transliterate

to remove or destroy all traces of.

to change (letters, words, etc.), into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language.

to explain in terms that can be more easily understood.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ad hoc

First recorded in 1550–60, ad hoc is from the Latin word ad hōc for this

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ad hoc

ad hoc a posteriori a priori ex post facto prima facie

Words nearby ad hoc

ad eundem gradum, ad extremum, ad feminam, ad fin., ad gloriam, ad hoc, ad hockery, ad hominem, ad inf., ad infinitum, ad init.

Definition for hoc (2 of 7)

in hoc signo vinces

[ in hohk sig-noh wing-keys; English in hok sig-noh vin-seez ]

/ ɪn ˈhoʊk ˈsɪg noʊ ˈwɪŋ keɪs; English ɪn ˈhɒk ˈsɪg noʊ ˈvɪn siz /

Latin.

in this sign shalt thou conquer: motto used by Constantine the Great, from his vision, before battle, of a cross bearing these words.

Definition for hoc (3 of 7)

post hoc

[ pohst hohk; English pohst hok ]

/ ˈpoʊst ˈhoʊk; English ˈpoʊst ˈhɒk /

adverb Latin.

after this; afterward.

Compare propter hoc.

Definition for hoc (4 of 7)

post hoc, ergo propter hoc

[ pohst hohk, er-goh prohp-ter hohk; English pohst hok, ur-goh prop-ter hok er-goh ]

/ ˈpoʊst ˈhoʊk, ˈɛr goʊ ˈproʊp tɛr ˌhoʊk; English ˈpoʊst ˈhɒk, ˈɜr goʊ ˈprɒp tər ˌhɒk ˈɛr goʊ /

Latin.

after this, therefore because of it: a formula designating an error in logic that accepts as a cause something that merely occurred earlier in time.

Definition for hoc (5 of 7)

propter hoc

[ prawp-ter hawk; English prop-ter hok ]

/ ˈprɔp tɛr ˈhɔk; English ˈprɒp tər ˈhɒk /

adverb Latin.

because of this.

Compare post hoc.

Definition for hoc (6 of 7)

quoad hoc

[ kwaw-ahd hohk; English kwoh-ad hok ]

/ ˈkwɔ ɑd ˈhoʊk; English ˈkwoʊ æd ˈhɒk /

adverb Latin.

as much as this; to this extent.

Definition for hoc (7 of 7)

et hoc genus omne

[ et hohk ge-noo s ohm-ne; English et hok jee-nuh s om-nee ]

/ ɛt ˈhoʊk ˈgɛ nʊs ˈoʊm nɛ; English ɛt ˈhɒk ˈdʒi nəs ˈɒm ni /

Latin.

and all this (or that) sort of thing.

Also et id genus omne

[et id ge-noo s ohm-ne; English et id jee-nuh s om-nee] /ɛt ˈɪd ˈgɛ nʊs ˈoʊm nɛ; English ɛt ˈɪd ˈdʒi nəs ˈɒm ni/.

Example sentences from the Web for hoc

Hoc erat in more majorum—This was the custom 50 of our forefathers.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
Hoc fabula docet that one should not keep three-fourths of his capital lying idle.
The Fiend's Delight|Dod Grile
Ablative hoc, hac, hoc, which sounds as if the gentleman had become incapable of speech beyond the name of his wine.
The Adventures of Harry Richmond, Complete|George Meredith
In hoc signo vinces—By this sign (the cross) thou shalt conquer.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood

It is well, it is glorious, to read of those fine things; but does any man relish the application of the Hoc age?
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 14, No. 85, November, 1864|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hoc (1 of 2)

ad hoc

/ (æd ˈhɒk) /

adjective, adverb

for a particular purpose only; lacking generality or justificationan ad hoc decision; an ad hoc committee

Word Origin for ad hoc

Latin, literally: to this

British Dictionary definitions for hoc (2 of 2)

post hoc

/ (ˈpəʊst ˈhɒk) /

noun

logic the fallacy of assuming that temporal succession is evidence of causal relation

Word Origin for post hoc

from Latin, short for Post hoc ergo propter hoc after this, therefore on account of this

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for hoc

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).”

Idioms and Phrases with 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]