ad-hoc polymorphism

noun

A kind of polymorphism where polymorphic functions can be applied to arguments of different types, as they can denote a number of distinct and potentially heterogeneous implementations depending on the types of argument to which they are applied.

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Meanings

nounad-hoc polymorphism (usually uncountable, plural ad-hoc polymorphisms)

plural ad-hoc polymorphisms

  1. uncountableusuallycomputerA kind of polymorphism where polymorphic functions can be applied to arguments of different types, as they can denote a number of distinct and potentially heterogeneous implementations depending on the types of argument to which they are applied.

Origin

Coined by British computer scientist Christopher Strachey in 1967.

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Cite this entry
APA

ad-hoc polymorphism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ad-hoc%20polymorphism

MLA

“ad-hoc polymorphism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ad-hoc%20polymorphism. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ad-hoc polymorphism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ad-hoc%20polymorphism.

Source: ad-hoc polymorphism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.