Ad hoc

Ad hoc is a <a href="/facts/List_of_Latin_phrases/AEtMoFf9">Latin phrase</a> meaning literally 'for this'. In <a href="/facts/English_language/tpkxGt7b">English</a>, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a <a href="/facts/Generalization/v0b1pwUx">generalized</a> solution adaptable to collateral instances (compare with <a href="/facts/A_priori_and_a_posteriori/C567SkcV">a priori</a>).
Common examples include ad hoc <a href="/facts/Committee/9RYq7ARm">committees</a> and commissions created at the national or international level for a specific task, and the term is often used to describe arbitration (ad hoc arbitration). In other fields, the term could refer to a military unit created under special circumstances (see <a href="/facts/Task_force/gaNGe3se">task force</a>), a handcrafted <a href="/facts/Network_protocol/5uady7cB">network protocol</a> (e.g., <a href="/facts/Ad_hoc_network/naV7XARn">ad hoc network</a>), a temporary collaboration among geographically-linked franchise locations (of a given national brand) to issue advertising coupons, or a purpose-specific <a href="/facts/Equation/pxFzLAVR">equation</a> in mathematics or science.
Ad hoc can also function as an adjective describing temporary, provisional, or improvised methods to deal with a particular problem, the tendency of which has given rise to the noun <a href="/facts/Adhocracy/TomIfF31">adhocism</a>. This concept highlights the flexibility and adaptability often required in problem-solving across various domains.
In everyday language, "ad hoc" is sometimes used informally to describe improvised or makeshift solutions, emphasizing their temporary nature and specific applicability to immediate circumstances.

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Ad hoc