The Etymology of Improvisation
Improvisation is etymologically the act of doing the unforeseen. Latin improvisus simply meant not foreseen; Italian commedia dell'arte performers in the 16th century made improvvisare the technical term for theatrical invention without a script, and by the 18th century the word had spread to French as a label for poetic and musical extemporisation. English borrowed it at the height of Romantic enthusiasm for spontaneity in 1786, initially as a description of Italian poets who could compose verse on demand at the dinner table — the so-called improvvisatori, the toast of European salons. The noun preceded the verb: improvisation entered English first, and to improvise was back-formed from it around 1825. The same Latin root gives us provide, prudent, providence, and provision — all words about looking ahead. Improvisation is what happens when you don't.