nonce

Typically, a nonce is some value that varies with time, although a very large random number is sometimes used. A nonce can be a time stamp, a visit counter on a Web page, or a special marker intended to limit or prevent the unauthorized replay or reproduction of a file.

An initialization vector (IV) is a nonce used for data encryption. The IV, used only once in any session, prevents repetition of sequences in encrypted text. Identifying such repetitions can help an attacker break a cipher.

In general usage, nonce means "for the immediate occasion" or "for now." Here's an explanation of the word's development from Merriam-Webster:

"Nonce" first appeared in Middle English as a noun spelled "nanes." The spelling likely came about from a misdivision of the phrase "then anes" ("Then" was the Middle English equivalent of "the" and "anes" meant "one purpose.") The word was especially used in the phrase "for the nonce," meaning "for the one purpose," as in Geoffrey Chaucer's Prologue of "Canterbury Tales:" A cook they hadde with hem for the nones To boille the chiknes with the marybones.

A nonce word is a neologism (newly coined word) that is created for a single use, such as inclusion in a work of fiction. However, once created, nonce words often make their way into common language. For example, Lewis Carroll coined the word "chortle" for the poem "Jabberwocky" and James Joyce created the word "quark" for his novel "Finnegan's Wake."

Learn more about Network Behavior Anomaly Detection (NBAD)

Do you have something to add to this definition? Let us know. Send your comments to techterms@whatis.com

More resources from around the web: - The W3C archives maintain Hal Lockhart's post about 'Best Practices: Timestamps and Nonces.' - Mark Jaquith explains the use of nonces in WordPress administration. - Sam Ruby has a post about nonces on Intertwingly.

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