On the spur of the moment; without previous study or preparation; offhand: as, to write or speak extempore.Prithee sing a verse extempore in honour of it. B. Jonson, Volpone, ii. 1.He had, in a long and eloquent speech, delivered extempore, confuted the accusation of his enemies. Goldsmith, Hist. Eng., II. iii.My resolution never again to make acquaintances extempore.T. Hook, Gilbert Gurney, I. iv.
Extemporary; extemporaneous. The body of the book is made up of mere tradition, and as it were vehement enthusiastic extempore preaching. Carlyle.
He then prayed extempore, as did Dr. Taylor; and thus, by means of that piety which was ever his primary object, his troubled mind was, in some degree, soothed and composed.
—
Life Of Johnson
Are not they well enough to be done off-hand; for that is the meaning of the word extempore, which you did not know, did you?
—
The Journal to Stella
I played extempore, and then three duets with the violin, which I had never in my life seen, nor do I now know the name of the author.
—
The Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Many such have lately been published; and, whatever difference of opinion may be entertained as to the comparative merits of extempore or liturgical prayer for the public worship of the church, there can be no question that in many instances a form must be very useful, and often essential at the commencement, at least, of cottage worship.
—
Reminiscences of Scottish Life and Character
I preached to them extempore, as one can preach to no other congregation, from the lesson, "JESUS gone to be the guest of a man that is a sinner," the consequences that would result in us from His vouchsafing to tabernacle among us, and, as displayed in the Parable of the Pounds, the use of God's gifts of health, influence, means; then, specifying the use of God's highest gifts of children to be trained to His glory, quoting 1 Samuel i. 27, 28, "lent to the Lord," I spoke with an earnestness that felt strange to me at the time.
—
Life of John Coleridge Patteson
Prop. an adverb phrase, Latinex tempore, on the spur of the moment, forthwith, literally out of the moment: ex, out of, from; tempore, ablative of tempus, time, point of time, moment: see temporal.