Extemporize - plus, 'Cotemporary': The Archaic 'Contemporary'

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY September 2, 2019 extemporize [Audio pronunciation]( verb | ik-STEMP-puh-ryze Definition 1 : to do something [extemporaneously]( : [improvise]( especially : to compose, perform, or speak extemporaneously 2 : to get along in a [makeshift]( manner Scroll down for more about extemporize TRENDING NOW: [prorogue]( [the]( [freddo]( [inoculum]( [SEE ALL [>]]( PEOPLE ARE READING ['Cotemporary': The Archaic 'Contemporary']( [Humorless Words for the Bodily Humors]( [The Good, The Bad, & The Semantically Imprecise - 8/30/19]( [All About '-Cede' and '-Ceed']( WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [Summer 2019 Words of the Day Quiz]( The Word of the Day takes no vacation. [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Did You Know? Extemporize means to say or do something [on the spur of the moment]( an appropriate meaning given the word's history. Extemporize was coined by adding the suffix -ize to Latin ex tempore, meaning "instantaneously" or "on the spur of the moment." Ex tempore, in turn, was formed by combining ex and the noun tempus, meaning "time." Incidentally, ex tempore was also borrowed wholesale into English (where it means "extemporaneously"). Other descendants of Latin ex tempore include the now rare [extemporal]( and [extemporary]( (both synonyms of [extemporaneous]( and as you have no doubt guessed by now, extemporaneous itself. Examples of EXTEMPORIZE "Donald's own trio consisted of piano, bass and cello. Each player's part was written, not extemporized." — Anthony Weller, The Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2019 "The name Cher Horowitz was extemporized by Wallace Shawn, who plays a teacher in 'Clueless.' Wallace Shawn is also Jewish, and he came up with the catchy Jewish-sounding designation for the film's star during a scene where he was taking attendance in the classroom." — [Tamar Skydell, The Forward, 31 Dec. 2018]( Word Family Quiz Fill in the blanks to complete a word derived from Latin tempus ("time") that refers to an inopportune or embarrassing occurrence or situation: c _ _ tr _ te _ _ s. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( SHARE: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street, P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA, 01102, USA [www.merriam-webster.com]( | [Privacy Policy]( © 2019 by Merriam-Webster, Inc.