The story
- Middle English · inherited fromfor þe nones
- English todayfor the nonce
From Middle English for þe nones, for þe nanes, a rebracketing of earlier for þen ānes (literally “for the once”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
for the nonce
Today it means: For the time being, for now, with the expectation that the situation may change. Full definition →
Middle English for þe nones