nonce word

noun

a word coined and used only for a particular occasion.Compare neologism(def 1).

Origin of nonce word

First recorded in 1880–85

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for nonce-word

neologism, singleton

British Dictionary definitions for nonce-word

nonce word

noun

a word coined for a single occasion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for nonce-word

"word coined for a special occasion," 1922, from nonce + word (n.).