nonce

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• Received-Pronunciation: nŏns
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• Received-Pronunciation: /nɒns/
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• General-American: /nɑns/
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• Australian: /nɔns/
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• Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ɒns
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• CMU ARPABET: N AA1 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Inherited from 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.

1975. Unknown, derived from British criminal slang. Several origins have been proposed; possibly derived from dialectal nonce, nonse (“stupid, worthless individual”) (but this cannot be shown to predate nonce "child-molester" and is likely a toned-down usage of the same insult), or Nance, nance (“effeminate man, homosexual”), from nancy or nancyboy. The rhyme with ponce has also been noted. As prison slang also said to be an acronym for "Not On Normal Communal Exercise" (Stevens 2012), but this is likely a backronym.

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Czech: jednorázová příležitost — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• Czech: jediná příležitost — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• Dutch: gelegenheid — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• Finnish: kerta — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• Finnish: tämä kerta — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• German: einmalig — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• German: Einmal- — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• Hungarian: egy alkalom — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• Russian: да́нный слу́чай (dánnyj slúčaj) — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• Russian: ока́зия (okázija) — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• Spanish: ad hoc — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• Turkish: bir kereye mahsus — one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose
• Finnish: kertakäyttöluku — value constructed so as to be unique to a particular message in a stream
• Finnish: nonssi — value constructed so as to be unique to a particular message in a stream
• Spanish: nonce — value constructed so as to be unique to a particular message in a stream
• Finnish: skinneri — sex offender, especially one who is guilty of sexual offences against children
• French: pointeur — sex offender, especially one who is guilty of sexual offences against children
• Russian: педофи́л (pedofíl) — sex offender, especially one who is guilty of sexual offences against children
• Russian: растли́тель (rastlítelʹ) — sex offender, especially one who is guilty of sexual offences against children
• Russian: соврати́тель (sovratítelʹ) — sex offender, especially one who is guilty of sexual offences against children
• Russian: извраще́нец (izvraščénec) — sex offender, especially one who is guilty of sexual offences against children
• Spanish: violeta — sex offender, especially one who is guilty of sexual offences against children