compounds - What is the difference between "onetime" and "one time"?


I was reading a book that had a sentence containing this:



...onetime commissioner of New York...




Answer





  • onetime, one-time:



    1. former, previous, erstwhile, quondam. So "a onetime commissioner of New York" was a commissioner at some point in the past, but no longer holds that office. I usually see this meaning written without a hyphen.

    2. occurring once, e.g. "hopefully, that was a one-time mistake". IME this meaning is more likely to have a hyphen.




  • one time:



    1. once, on one occasion. "Yes, I went there one time."

    2. once upon a time. "One time, in band camp...".

    3. Can also occur in phrases such as at one time (formerly, at a previous time; or sometimes, simultaneously).




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