ephemera

American  

[ih-fem-er-uh] / ɪˈfɛm ər ə /

noun

plural

ephemeras, ephemerae

1. a plural of ephemeron.

2. an ephemerid.

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ephemera British  

/ ɪˈfɛmərə /

noun

1. a mayfly, esp one of the genus Ephemera

2. something transitory or short-lived

3. (functioning as plural) a class of collectable items not originally intended to last for more than a short time, such as tickets, posters, postcards, or labels

4. a plural of ephemeron

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Etymology

Origin of ephemera

1670–80; < Greek ephḗmera, neuter plural of ephḗmeros, taken as singular; ephemeral

Example Sentences

If anything proves the market value of seemingly worthless ephemera, Walker added, it’s fans clawing for printed set lists at the end of a concert.

From Los Angeles Times

In a similar spirit of upcycling, his exhibition shows Rose Salane’s newest project from Pompeii featuring rocks and other ephemera taken from the historic site.

From Los Angeles Times

Among the oil paintings, art deco ephemera and geological artifacts, I wasn’t expecting a preserved memorial from the days following the 2015 terrorist attacks, and it leveled me.

From The Wall Street Journal

Contemporaries were convinced that his motivation for publishing Mansfield’s ephemera wasn’t so much reverence for her talent as greed for hard cash.

From The Wall Street Journal

How well can you recall the past 250 years of books, music, movies and other cultural ephemera that makes up our country?

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• collectibles