English
extemporal
Extemporal comes from Latin extemporālis ‘extemporary, unrehearsed’, from tempus ‘off the cuff’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *temp- ‘to stretch, string’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temp-1‘to stretch, string’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tempos2‘stretch’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtempus3as tempore‘off the cuff’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEextemporālis4‘extemporary, unrehearsed’
- Englishtodayextemporal4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *tempos
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin tempus
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin extemporalis
- 4 Wiktionary, English extemporal
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temp-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *tempos‘to stretch, string’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*temposWiktionary, Latin tempus‘stretch’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtempusWiktionary, Latin extemporalisas tempore‘off the cuff’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEextemporālisWiktionary, English extemporal‘extemporary, unrehearsed’
- EnglishtodayextemporalWiktionary, English extemporal
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *temp- ‘to stretch, string’
antenna, contemplate, contemplation, templar, contemporaneously, 19 more
through Proto-Italic *tempos ‘stretch’
temperature, temperament, temperate, tamper, temperance, contemporaneous, tempera, 13 more
through Latin tempus ‘off the cuff’
temple, contemporary, tense, temporary, temper, template, tempo, matin, tempestuous, tempura, 12 more
Today it means
adj Extemporaneous.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “extemporal”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *tempos, Latin tempus, Latin extemporalis. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *temp- / extemporal