1.
[syn: nonce word, hapax legomenon]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Nonce \Nonce\ (n[o^]ns), n. [For the nonce, OE. for the nones, a
corruption of for then ones, where n. in then is a relic of
AS. m in [eth]am, dat. of the article and demonstrative
pronoun, E. the. See For, Once, and The.]
The one or single occasion; the present call or purpose; --
chiefly used in the phrase
for the nonce, i. e. for the present time.
[1913 Webster]
The miller was a stout carl for the nones.
--Chaucer.
[1913 Webster]
And that he calls for drink, I 'll have prepared him
A chalice for the nonce. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Nonce word, "a word apparently employed only for the
nonce". --Murray (New English Dict.).
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
nonce word
n 1: a word with a special meaning used for a special occasion
[syn: nonce word, hapax legomenon]