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transient

[ tran-shuhnt, -zhuhnt, -zee-uhnt ]
/ ˈtræn ʃənt, -ʒənt, -zi ənt /
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See synonyms for: transient / transients on Thesaurus.com
adjective
noun
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
candystring
candyfloss
candypuff
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Origin of transient

1590–1600; from Latin transi(ēns) (nominative singular), present participle of transīre “to pass by,” literally, “go across” + -ent; see transeunt

synonym study for transient

2. See temporary.

OTHER WORDS FROM transient

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to transient

ephemeral, fleeting, short-term, transitory, brief, flash, fly-by-night, flying, fugitive, passing, short, temporal, volatile, changeable, deciduous, emigrating, evanescent, flitting, fugacious, going by

British Dictionary definitions for transient

transient
/ (ˈtrænzɪənt) /
adjective
for a short time only; temporary or transitory
philosophy a variant of transeunt
noun
a transient person or thing
physics a brief change in the state of a system, such as a sudden short-lived oscillation in the current flowing through a circuit

Derived forms of transient

transiently, adverbtransience or transiency, noun

Word Origin for transient

C17: from Latin transiēns going over, from transīre to pass over, from trans- + īre to go
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
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