Definition

1. Adverb:

   • For the time being; temporarily: Used to indicate that something is the case or is valid only for a present, often short-term, period.

2. Adjective:

   • Temporary; acting for the time being: Used to describe a person holding a position or a situation that is in effect only for a limited, interim period.

Usage Examples

• Adverb:

  • The committee appointed her chairperson pro tem until the official election.
  • We will use this office pro tem while the main building is being renovated.

• Adjective:

  • He served as the pro tem mayor after the resignation.
  • A pro tem committee was formed to address the immediate crisis.

Advanced Usage

• Legal and Official Contexts: Often used in formal, official, or parliamentary language to denote an interim appointment or a temporary ruling.
  • The senator was named president pro tem of the state legislature.

Variants and Related Words

• Pro tempore: This is the full Latin phrase from which "pro tem" is abbreviated. It has the same meaning and is used in more formal writing.
  • The judge pro tempore presided over the hearing.

Synonyms

• Temporarily (adv.): For a limited time.
• Interim (adj.): In or for the intervening period; provisional.
• For now (adv.): At the present time, possibly subject to change.

Notes on Usage

• Formality: "Pro tem" is considered a formal term, commonly found in legal, governmental, and organizational contexts.
• Abbreviation: It is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase "pro tempore." It is typically written in lowercase ("pro tem") and is often italicized in formal writing to indicate its foreign origin, though this practice is becoming less common.

Adjective

1. for the time being
   • he is the president pro tem
   • designated him to act as consul protempore- H.H.Fiske

Adverb

1. for the time being; temporarily
   • accepting pro tem that hypothesis consistent with the facts- J.W.Krutch