Makeshift

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈmeɪkˌʃɪft/

Definitions

1. A temporary or improvised solution created with whatever materials are readily available, typically because better options are not accessible or practical
2. A provisional arrangement or fabrication constructed from available materials because more suitable alternatives are lacking or infeasible
3. An impromptu setup or device assembled from readily at hand resources due to the unavailability or impracticality of superior choices

Etymology: The word is a compound of "make" and "shift," and the older noun "make shift" meant a means of getting by, something you contrive to manage a difficulty. "Shift" in this sense came from the idea of changing or arranging things, so a makeshift was literally something you made by shifting what was available. The adjective form, describing a thing rather than a plan, followed the noun as the sense of an improvised, temporary expedient became common. The earliest recorded use appears around 1554, in publications by a writer named H. Hilarie. By the 1560s the compound was established in English, and its parts remain transparent: "make" in the sense of producing or arranging, and "shift" in the sense of a contrivance or expedient.

Synonyms: improvised, temporary, provisional, extemporary, ad hoc

Antonyms: permanent, durable, lasting, stable, fixed