nonce

n.
The present or particular occasion: "Her tendency to discover a touch of sadness had for the nonce disappeared" (Theodore Dreiser).

[From Middle English for the nones, for the occasion, alteration of for then anes : for, for; see for + then, neuter dative sing. of the; see the¹ + ones, anes, once; see once.]

(nons)

noun
1. The present or immediate occasion.
2. The time being.

Etymology
From the phrase "for the nonce", a misdivision of "for then anes", from for + then (the) + anes (one)

Usage
"I pursed my lips and set aside my thirst for the nonce." — C Sanford Lowe and G David Nordley; Loki's Realm; Analog Science Fiction & Fact (New York); Jul/Aug 2007.

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(Number ONCE) An arbitrary number that is generated to provide a unique identification or for security purposes such as when logging in to a network (see initialization vector). The nonce is used only once and not repeated. Although random and pseudo-random numbers theoretically produce unique numbers, there is the possibility that the same number can be generated more than once. However, if a very large, true random number is used, the chances are extremely small. A perfect nonce is the time of day; for example, 12.53 seconds past 5:13pm on 1/18/2012 can only occur once.

Pronounced like the "nons" in "nonsense," nonce is actually an English word meaning "for the present occasion or time."

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The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the present occasion
  Synonym: time being

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