Improvisation

How to spell improvisation

13 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce improvisation

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does improvisation mean?

1. nounThe act of creating, performing, or arranging something on the spot, without prior preparation.

Improvisation in a sentence

• The jazz band closed the night with a long improvisation on the main theme.

• The actors trained in improvisation so they could keep a scene going when lines were forgotten.

Where does improvisation come from?

Language of origin: French

The word traces back to the Latin improvisus, meaning 'unforeseen' or 'not provided for in advance', built from the negative prefix in- ('not') and provisus, the past participle of providere, 'to foresee' or 'to provide', which itself joined pro- ('before') with videre ('to see'). So at its heart the word literally describes something done without having seen it coming, that is, without preparation. Italian turned this idea into the verb improvvisare, used especially of musicians and actors performing on the spot, and French borrowed it as improviser, forming the noun improvisation. English took the noun from French in the early nineteenth century, keeping the single p and the -vis- 'see' root, which is the useful spelling anchor: it shares that root with vision, visible, and provide. Remembering that the middle is 'pro' plus 'vis' (foresee) helps avoid the tempting but wrong double letters.

How the word is built

• im- (not)
• pro- (before/forward)
• vis (see, from videre)
• -ation (noun of action)