e·phem·er·a

[ih-fem-er-uh]
noun, plural e·phem·er·as, e·phem·er·ae [-uh-ree] , for 2.
1.
a plural of ephemeron.
2.
an ephemerid.

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

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e·phem·er·on

[ih-fem-uh-ron, -er-uhn]
noun, plural e·phem·er·a [-er-uh] , e·phem·er·ons.
1.
anything short-lived or ephemeral.
2.
ephemera, items designed to be useful or important for only a short time, especially pamphlets, notices, tickets, etc.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To Ephemera
00:10
Ephemera is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
Collins
World English Dictionary
ephemera (ɪˈfɛmərə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -eras, -erae
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
 
[C16; see ephemeral]

ephemeron (ɪˈfɛməˌrɒn) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -era, -erons
(usually plural) something transitory or short-lived
 
[C16: see ephemeral]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ephemera
late 14c., originally a medical term, from M.L. ephemera (febris) "(fever) lasting a day," from fem. of ephemerus, from Gk. ephemeros "lasting only one day," from epi "on" + hemerai, dat. of hemera "day," from PIE *amer- "day." Sense extended to short-lived insects and flowers; general sense of "transitory"
is first attested 1630s.

ephemeron
1620s, from Gk. (zoon) ephemeron, neut. of ephemeros (see ephemera).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
While it has its virtues, it mainly offers unreviewed and probably otherwise
  unpublishable misinformation, trivia and ephemera.
He made collages from pulpy ephemera such as starlet photographs and
  astronomical maps.
By nature, a sweet sensation is more fleeting than lasting, a leap into the
  ephemera.
It will either confirm earlier measurements of the axis of evil or show them to
  be ephemera.
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