hapax legomenon

American  

[hap-aks li-gom-uh-non, hey-paks] / ˈhæp æks lɪˈgɒm əˌnɒn, ˈheɪ pæks /

noun

plural

hapax legomena

1. a word or phrase that appears only once in a manuscript, document, or particular area of literature.

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hapax legomenon British  

/ ˈhæpæks ləˈɡɒmɪˌnɒn /

noun

1. another term for nonce word

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Etymology

Origin of hapax legomenon

First recorded in 1690–1700; from Greek hápax “once, one time” + legómenon “(being) said,” neuter singular present passive participle of légein “to say”

Example Sentences

The stuffier Senate had already chosen a somewhat longer hapax legomenon, the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency for World Peace and Security.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is the commonest word in the lexicon, yet it always reads as a hapax legomenon.

From In a Little Town by Hughes, Rupert