Ad hoc is aLatin phrase meaning literally'for this'. InEnglish, it typically signifies a solution designed for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than ageneralized solution adaptable to collateral instances (compare witha priori).
Common examples include ad hoccommittees 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 (seetask force), a handcraftednetwork protocol (e.g.,ad hoc network), a temporary collaboration among geographically-linked franchise locations (of a given national brand) to issue advertising coupons, or a purpose-specificequation 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 nounadhocism.[1] 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.
Style guides disagree on whether Latin phrases like ad hoc should be italicized. The trend is not to use italics.[2] For example,The Chicago Manual of Style recommends that familiar Latin phrases that are listed in theWebster's Dictionary, including "ad hoc", not be italicized.[3][4][unreliable source?]
Inscience andphilosophy, ad hoc means the addition of extraneoushypotheses to atheory to save it from beingfalsified. Ad hoc hypotheses compensate for anomalies not anticipated by the theory in its unmodified form.
Scientists are oftenskeptical ofscientific theories that rely on frequent, unsupported adjustments to sustain them. Ad hoc hypotheses are often characteristic ofpseudo-scientific subjects such ashomeopathy.[5]
In the military, ad hoc units are created during unpredictable situations, when the cooperation between different units is suddenly needed for fast action, or from remnants of previous units which have been overrun or otherwise whittled down.
In national and sub-national governance, ad hoc bodies may be established to deal with specific problems not easily accommodated by the current structure of governance or to address multi-faceted issues spanning several areas of governance. In the UK and othercommonwealth countries, ad hocRoyal Commissions[6] may be set up to address specific questions as directed byparliament.
In diplomacy, diplomats may be appointed by a government asspecial envoys, or diplomats who serve on an ad hoc basis due to the possibility that such envoys' offices may either not be retained by a future government or may only exist during the duration of a relevant cause.
The termad hoc networking typically refers to a system of network elements that combine to form a network requiring little or no planning.
The dictionary definition ofad hoc at Wiktionary