Nonce word

English

Etymology

From “for the nonce” and “word”. Coined by James Murray, the influential first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Noun

nonce word (plural: nonce words)

1. A word invented for a particular occasion or purpose.

1. A word invented for a particular occasion, especially to create alliteration or a rhyme.

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Nonce word walkthrough

Example

• Sometimes I feel quite certain there's a jertain in my curtain. — Dr. Seuss

Synonyms

• nonce
• occasionalism
• contrivance
• logatome
• pseudoword

Hypernyms

• protologism

See also

• non-word
• hapax legomenon (one attestation)
• dis legomenon (two attestations)
• tris legomenon (three attestations)

Other Dictionary Entries for "Nonce word"

• Merriam Webster's Entry for "Nonce word"
• Britannica's Entry for "Nonce word"
• Cambridge Dictionary's Entry for "Nonce word"
• Collins Dictionary's Entry for "Nonce word"
• Wiktionary's Entry for "Nonce word"
• Dictionary(dot)com's Entry for "Nonce word"