nonce-word

The proper basis for comparison is the trajectory that the American economy was following when he took office, which is summed up by the nonce-word “stagflation”.

Stromata Blog: 2009

The proper basis for comparison is the trajectory that the American economy was following when he took office, which is summed up by the nonce-word “stagflation”.

A World Without Reaganomics 2009

State-of-the-art anything died from overuse, and world-class is out of the competition, falling back into the nonce-word category.

The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

State-of-the-art anything died from overuse, and world-class is out of the competition, falling back into the nonce-word category.

The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time William Safire 2004

The adjective is a nonce-sense, summerly elsewhere meaning 'such as one expects in summer'; the noun is a nonce-word.

Neologisms. 1908

Though aggress is in the dictionary, every one will feel that it is rare enough to be practically a neologism, and here a nonce-word.

Neologisms. 1908

A 'nonce-word' (and the use might be extended to 'nonce-phrase' and 'nonce-sense'—the latter not necessarily, though it may be sometimes, equivalent to nonsense) is one that is constructed to serve a need of the moment.

Neologisms. 1908

Though he prefers to use terms like "energy grid" rather than the current nonce-word "green," he proposes to deal with problems of industry and business from the standpoint of reducing costs and respecting the reality of "finite resources."

Memphis Flyer 2009

Within a sesquifortnight (nonce-word, invented for this nonce), Mr. Crawford received an equally courteous reply from Oxford, over the signature of John Simpson, Co-Editor, Oxford English Dictionary.

VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol XX No 2 1991

Other of Caxton's loanwords have not fared so well: for example, exsidion ` extirpation '(a nonce-word), exercite ` army,' magistration

VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol X No 2 1983