*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of nonce

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

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
adj

One-off; produced or created for a single occasion or use. Denoting something occurring once.

noun

The one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose. · A nonce word. · A value constructed so as to be unique to a particular message in a stream, in order to prevent replay attacks.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "yesno",
      "args": {
        "1": "",
        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
      "expansion": "I"
    },
    {
      "name": "glossary",
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "nonse",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English nonse"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "nonse"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English nonse"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "to þen anes"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English to þen anes"
    },
    {
      "name": "gl",
      "args": {
        "1": "to/for the once (i.e., the one occasion or instance)"
      },
      "expansion": "(to/for the once (i.e., the one occasion or instance))"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nonse",
      "nonse#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "nones",
      "nones#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "to þen anes",
      "to þen anes#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "for þen anes",
      "for þen anes#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "þe",
      "þe#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "One-off; produced or created for a single occasion or use. Denoting something occurring once."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable"
      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The one or single occasion; the present reason or purpose.",
        "A nonce word.",
        "A value constructed so as to be unique to a particular message in a stream, in order to prevent replay attacks."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "d6070b539f033cc32bb88194ee21832e575da5162a29567a2118f199d983f380",
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A sex offender, especially one who is guilty of sexual offences against children. · A pedophile. · A police informer, one who betrays a criminal enterprise · A stupid or worthless person.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

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.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
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      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Unknown"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nonce",
      "nonce#English"
    ],
    [
      "nonse",
      "nonse#English"
    ],
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      "Nance",
      "Nance#English"
    ],
    [
      "nance",
      "nance#English"
    ],
    [
      "nancy",
      "nancy#English"
    ],
    [
      "nancyboy",
      "nancyboy#English"
    ],
    [
      "ponce",
      "ponce#English"
    ],
    [
      "backronym",
      "backronym"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A sex offender, especially one who is guilty of sexual offences against children.",
        "A pedophile.",
        "A police informer, one who betrays a criminal enterprise",
        "A stupid or worthless person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ireland",
        "UK",
        "derogatory",
        "broadly",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "fdca9271cfd7394df17ee9e708dd20ad68e9ec1d49ba9d6d78ff339437655271",
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for nonce →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-bm9uY2U