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Word of the Day Archive
Saturday December 4, 1999

fugacious \fyoo-GAY-shuhs\, adjective:
Lasting but a short time; fleeting.

The fugacious nature of life and time.
-- Harriet Martineau, Autobiography

Tastes, smells . . . being, in comparison, fugacious.
-- John Stuart Mill, Examination of Sir W. Hamilton's Philosophy

When he proposed the tax in May, Altman thought it would follow the fugacious nature of some flowers: bloom quickly and die just as fast.
-- Will Rodgers, "Parks proposal falls on 3-2 vote", Tampa Tribune, June 27, 2001

Fugacious is derived from Latin fugax, fugac-, "ready to flee, flying; hence, fleeting, transitory," from fugere, "to flee, to take flight." Other words derived from the same root include fugitive, one who flees, especially from the law; refuge, a place to which to flee back (re-, "back"), and hence to safety; and fugue, literally a musical "flight."

Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for fugacious

 

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