nonce

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“
Known for a sailor, Israel for the nonce is appointed to pull the absent man's oar The officers being landed, some of the crew propose, like merry Englishmen as they are, to hie to a neighboring ale-house, and have a cosy pot or two together.

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Definitions (6)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. noun The present or particular occasion: "Her tendency to discover a touch of sadness had for the nonce disappeared” (Theodore Dreiser).

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (3)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (1)

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Examples (50)

  • Twenty-four hours later I turned soldier for the nonce, and started off, mounted and accoutred and full of fresh dreams of glory, destined once more to disappointment—a disappointment shared by various engineer and artillery officers and three Prussians, Messieurs von Willisen, [Footnote: H. de Willisen, aide-de-camp to the Prince of Prussia, who afterwards became the Emperor William, was in chief command of the Holstein army.] —  Memoirs
  • This is just talk for the nonce, but nonetheless .... —  Wheat & Weeds
  • Plans for Portland State have been placed on hold for the nonce, on account of the egregiously inflated costs for out of state tuition and so on. —  Neptunus Lex
  • Be sure that the nonce is not predictable (CWE-330). —  doggdot.us
  • He was captain for the nonce, and command is sweet, even over a black crew and a set of boisterous youngsters. —  The Three Lieutenants
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. From Middle English for the nones, for the occasion, alteration of for then anes : for, for; see for + then : neuter dative sing. of the; see the1 + ones, anes, once; see once.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Only in the phrases for the nonce, from Middle English for the nones, for the nonest, properly for then ones, literally for the once, i.e. for that (time) only; and Middle English with the nones, properly with then ones, literally with the once, i.e. on that condition only: for, for; with, with; then, from Anglo-Saxon tham, dative of se, neuter thœt, the, that; ones, once, from Anglo-Saxon ānes, adverb genitive of ān, one: see once. The initial n in nonce thus arose by misdivision, as in nale, nawl, newt, etc.
 

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/nɑns/
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