Ad libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure", often shortened to Ad lib. Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... See AdLib for the computer sound card manufacturer. ...

Music

In music, this instruction appears in sheet music to indicate that a part can be left out, such as an unnecessary accompaniment or that a passage is to be played in free time rather than in strict tempo. This kind of freedom with the beat for expressive ends, when not explicitly indicated by the composer, is known in classical music as rubato. The expression repeat ad libitum means that a passage may be repeated an arbitrary number of times. Music is an art, entertainment, or other human activity that involves organized and audible sounds and silence. ... Sheet music is written representation of music. ... In music accompaniment is the art of playing along with a soloist or ensemble, often known as the lead, in a supporting manner as well as the music thus played. ... In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ... This article will be merged with Italian musical terms at some point in the near future. ...

More generally, the phrase ad libitum can be used to indicate an improvisation. Improvisation is the act of making something up as it is performed. ...

Biology

Ad libitum is also used in psychology and biology to refer to the "free-feeding" weight of an animal, as opposed, for example, to the weight after a restricted diet. For example, "The rat's ad libitum weight was about 320 grams." In nutritional studies, this phrase denotes providing an animal free access to feed or water thereby allowing the animal to self-regulate intake according to its biological needs. For example, "Rats were given ad libitum access to food and water." Psychology is an academic and applied field involving the study of the human mind, brain, and behavior. ... Biology (from Greek βίος λόγος, see below) is the branch of science dealing with the study of life. ...