nonce word

nonce word
a word coined and used only for a particular occasion. Cf. neologism (def. 1).
[1880-85]

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      a word coined and used apparently to suit one particular occasion. Nonce words are sometimes used independently by different writers and speakers, but they are not adopted into general use. James Joyce employed many such words in Finnegans Wake (1939). In A Clockwork Orange (1962), the novelist Anthony Burgess created a large vocabulary of nonce words, a language he called nadsat. His protagonist, Alex, speaks and thinks in nadsat, which is a blend of Cockney slang and Russian. Examples of nadsat nonce words include the terms britva (“razor”), mounch (“snack”), and privodeet (“to lead somewhere”). Compare portmanteau word.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nonce word — Nonce Nonce (n[o^]ns), n. [For the nonce, OE. for the nones, a corruption of for then ones, where n. in then is a relic of AS. m in [eth]am, dat. of the article and demonstrative pronoun, E. the. See {For}, {Once}, and {The}.] The one or single… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • nonce-word — (n.) word coined for a special occasion, 1922, from NONCE (Cf. nonce) + WORD (Cf. word) (n.) …   Etymology dictionary

  • nonce word — nonce ,word noun count a word that someone invents for a particular purpose or occasion …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • nonce word — nonce′ word n. ling. a word coined and used only for a particular occasion • Etymology: 1880–85 …   From formal English to slang

  • nonce word — n. a word coined and used for a single or particular occasion, or time being …   English World dictionary

  • Nonce word — For other uses of the word, see Nonce. A nonce word is a word used only for the nonce to meet a need that is not expected to recur. Quark, for example, was formerly a nonce word in English, appearing only in James Joyce s Finnegans Wake. Murray… …   Wikipedia

  • nonce word — noun a word with a special meaning used for a special occasion • Syn: ↑hapax legomenon • Hypernyms: ↑word * * * noun : a word (as ringday in “four girls I know have become engaged today: this must be ringday”) coined and used apparently to suit… …   Useful english dictionary

  • nonce word — UK [ˈnɒns ˌwɜː(r)d] / US [ˈnɑns ˌwɜrd] noun [countable] Word forms nonce word : singular nonce word plural nonce words a word that someone invents for a particular purpose or occasion …   English dictionary

  • nonce word — word invented and used only for one specific occasion …   English contemporary dictionary

  • nonce word — noun A word invented for the occasion …   Wiktionary

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