fugacious

American  

[fyoo-gey-shuhs] / fyuˈgeɪ ʃəs /

adjective

1. fleeting; transient.

   a sensational story with but a fugacious claim on the public's attention.

2. Botany.  falling or fading early.

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fugacious British  

/ fjuːˈɡeɪʃəs /

adjective

1. passing quickly away; transitory; fleeting

2. botany lasting for only a short time

   fugacious petals

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Other Word Forms

• fugaciously adverb
• fugaciousness noun
• fugacity noun

Etymology

Origin of fugacious

1625–35; < Latin fugāci- (stem of fugāx apt to flee, fleet, derivative of fugere to flee + -ous

Example Sentences

Last year, Finlayson, a young trumpeter with an appetite for tangled rhythm and lithe, fugacious melody, released a compelling album, “3 Times Round,” with his sextet.

From New York Times

The moment you catch the tiger by the tail, there’s a new tiger whose fugacious tail requires catching.

From Forbes

The Reporter, on the other hand, calls it "a fugacious bit of whimsy that can only be judged minor Woody Allen".

From The Guardian

Embryo straight.—Trees, with alternate serrate pinnately veined leaves and fugacious stipules.

From Project Gutenberg

In this way Masdevallia, Sobralia, and other fugacious flowers may be used for decorative purposes for two evenings at least, but in the absence of immersion they would wither in a very short time.

From Project Gutenberg