Other forms: nonces
Nonce means the present occasion, in the phrase for the nonce. For the nonce, a nonce word, the nonce use.
A nonce word is one coined for a single occasion and never used again. Be careful in Britain, where nonce is now common prison and street slang for a sex offender, and the old sense will not be the one heard. The word came from a misdivision of an older phrase.
1nounnonceThe present occasion, in the phrase for the nonce.
“For the nonce, we'll keep the old system running until the new one is ready.”
nonce is an occasion.
From Middle English for then anes, for the once, rebracketed so the n moved onto the following word.
Middle English
nonse
English, today
nonce
Middle English nonse, nones, a rebracketing of Middle English to þen anes, for þen anes to/for the once (i.e., the one occasion or instance), from the dative singular neuter of þe. The cryptography sense is commonly said to be a contraction of number used once, although this is probably incorrect.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA