ephemeron

American

[ih-fem-uh-ron, -er-uhn] / ɪˈfɛm əˌrɒn, -ər ən /

noun

anything short-lived or ephemeral.
ephemera, items designed to be useful or important for only a short time, especially pamphlets, notices, tickets, etc.

ephemeron British

/ ɪˈfɛməˌrɒn /

noun

(usually plural) something transitory or short-lived

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

Etymology

Origin of ephemeron

1570–80; < Greek ephḗmeron short-lived insect, noun use of neuter of ephḗmeros; see ephemeral

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The insect called EPHEMERON, is produced and perishes in the same day; of consequence, it experiences the greatest changes of its being very rapidly, in our eyes.

From The System of Nature, Volume 1 by Holbach, Paul Henri Thiry, baron d'

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023