nonce

American  

[nons] / nɒns /

noun

1. the present, or immediate, occasion or purpose (usually used in the phrasefor the nonce ).

2. Computers. a randomly or automatically generated and often timestamped number intended for a single use in a communication: used especially in authentication and security protocols.

---

adjective

1. (of a word or phrase) coined and used only for a particular occasion.

   nonce forms such as “paintrix,” meaning “a female painter.”

nonce ¹ British  

/ nɒns /

noun

1. the present time or occasion (now only in the phrase for the nonce )

---

nonce ² British  

/ nɒns /

noun

1. slang:prison a rapist or child molester; a sexual offender

---

Etymology

Origin of nonce

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English nones, in the phrase for the nones, by faulty division of for then ones “for the once” ( Middle English then, dative singular of the ¹ ; ones once )

Example Sentences

If the hash doesn’t start out as “aaaaa,” it would increase the nonce by one, and start again.

From The Verge • Sep. 9, 2021

A regular nonce, aye: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party dominated the U.K.’s general election Thursday, winning a firm majority in Parliament despite—or perhaps, because of—the Brexit chaos.

From Slate • Dec. 13, 2019

Wherever Weinstein ends up, I picture the place as a sort of alt-justice simulator, which lovingly recreates the atmosphere of the classic nonce wing, right down to the Michelin-starred salad bar and fluffy bathrobes.

From The Guardian • Oct. 12, 2017

A lapse into depression, for the nonce, was averted.

From Salon • Jun. 30, 2010

He would need to bum them eventually, no doubt, but for the nonce they were bound with iron chains inside their cells.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• now
• today