What is nonce? How to use in English

Discover the meaning of nonce in English, its pronunciation, and how to use it correctly in real-life situations. See examples and easy memorization tips.

Definition & pronunciation of nonce

nonceadjective
không có gì
/nɒns//nɑːns/

Where does the word nonce come from?

The word "nonce" comes from the Old English phrase "on anes ce," meaning "at one time" or "on one occasion." Over time, the phrase evolved into the Middle English "on a nonce," which meant "on a specific occasion" or "one time only." By the 16th century, the phrase had been shortened to simply "nonce," taking on the meaning of "a specific, unusual, or unique occurrence." In modern English, "nonce" is often used to refer to an isolated or solitary event, such as "I only went to the concert because it was a nonce opportunity." In a more specialized sense, "nonce" is also used in mathematics and computer science to describe a function that returns a "fresh" or unique value each time it is called.

Vocabulary summary nonce

type noun

meaning for the nonce on this occasion, this time, at this moment; this time

Example of vocabulary noncenamespace

The cybercriminal used a nonce in their cryptographic attack, making it more difficult for the authorities to trace their actions.
The programmer added a random nonce to the input data to ensure the encryption process was secure and unpredictable.
The encryption algorithm generated a new nonce for each message, preventing the same message from being decrypted using the same key.
The nonce was included as part of the initial handshake during the secure communication process to establish a shared secret key between the parties.
Without the correct nonce, the message would be rejected by the server and considered an invalid attempt to gain access.