ad hoc
[ ad hok; Latin ahd hohk ]
/ æd ˈhɒk; Latin ɑd ˈhoʊk /
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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.
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Nearby words
- ad eundem gradum,
- ad extremum,
- ad feminam,
- ad fin.,
- ad gloriam,
- ad hockery,
- ad hominem,
- ad inf.,
- ad infinitum,
- ad init.
Origin of ad hoc
First recorded in 1550–60, ad hoc is from the Latin word ad hōc for this
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.
post hoc
[ pohst hohk; English pohst hok ]
/ ˈpoʊst ˈhoʊk; English ˈpoʊst ˈhɒk /
adverb Latin.
after this; afterward.
Compare propter hoc.
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.
propter hoc
[ prawp-ter hawk; English prop-ter hok ]
/ ˈprɔp tɛr ˈhɔk; English ˈprɒp tər ˈhɒk /
adverb Latin.
because of this.
Compare post hoc.
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.
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/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for hoc
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
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
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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).”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.