Ad libitum (
/ædˈlɪbɪtəm/) is
Latin for "at one's pleasure" or "as you desire"; it is often shortened to "
ad lib" (as an
adjective or
adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a
verb or
noun). The roughly synonymous phrase
a bene placito ("in accordance with [one's] good pleasure") is less common but, in its Italian form
a piacere, entered the musical
lingua franca (see below).
The phrase "at liberty" is often associated
mnemonically (because of the
alliteration of the
lib- syllable), although it is not the translation (there is no
cognation between
libitum and
liber).
Libido is the etymologically closer cognate known in English
IN other words not doing it like the original