nonce
UK[nɒns]US[nɑːns]
n
A word or phrase invented for a single, particular occasion.
adj
Made, used, or happening only for a specific occasion or purpose.
Etymology
The word 'nonce' presents a fascinating case of linguistic rebracketing, where word boundaries are redrawn over time. It emerged in the late Middle English period from the mishearing and subsequent shortening of the phrase "for the nonce", which itself was an alteration of "for then anes" (meaning "for the one purpose"). The core element "anes", meaning "once", traces back to Old English "ān", meaning "one", a numeral with deep Proto-Germanic and ultimately Proto-Indo-European ancestry. Over centuries, this phrase fossilized into a single lexical item, 'nonce', which now specifically denotes something created or used for one particular occasion, perfectly preserving the singular, one-time sense of its original components.
Analysis
The word is a simplex form. It originated as a misdivision of the Middle English phrase "for then anes" (for the one purpose). The element "anes" (meaning "once") is from Old English "ānes", the genitive singular of "ān" (one).
Examples
The poet coined a clever nonce word to fit the rhyme scheme.
The committee was established as a nonce body to handle the emergency.
He used a nonce construction in his speech that everyone understood in context.