The present occasion or purpose; often used in the phrase 'for the nonce' meaning 'for now' or 'for the time being.'
From Middle English 'nones,' a misreading of 'the ones' as 'thonnes' or 'thnonce,' later contracted to 'nonce.' Originally meant a specific moment in time.
The word 'nonce' is a fascinating example of a linguistic accident—it was created by misreading words together ('the ones' → 'nonce'), yet it stuck around in English for 800+ years.
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