Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “nonce word” come from?

nonce word (English) comes from English word, from Middle English word, from Old English worð, from Proto-Germanic *word, from Proto-Germanic wurdą, from Proto-Indo-European werdʰo-, from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- — to speak, say.

nonce word (English): A word invented for the occasion

Definitions

  1. A word invented for the occasion

Ancestry of “nonce word”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwordThe smallest unit of language that has a...
2Middle EnglishwordA word; A statement; a linguistic unit said or...
3Old Englishworð—
4Proto-Germanic*word—
5Proto-Germanicwurdąword
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwerdʰo-word
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwerh₁-to speak, say
Every word from Proto-Indo-European werh₁- →