Ephemeral - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

e·phem·er·al

Audio Help [i-fem-er-uh

l] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.

2.	lasting but one day: an ephemeral flower.

–noun

3.	anything short-lived, as certain insects.

[Origin: 1570–80; < Gk ephmer(os) short-lived, lasting but a day (ep- ep- + hémér(a) day + -os adj. suffix) + -al¹

]

—Related forms

e·phem·er·al·ly, adverb

e·phem·er·al·ness, noun

—Synonyms 1. fleeting, evanescent, transient, momentary, brief.

—Antonyms 1. permanent.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Ephemeral

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

e·phem·er·al Audio Help (ĭ-fěm'ər-əl) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Lasting for a markedly brief time: "There remain some truths too ephemeral to be captured in the cold pages of a court transcript" (Irving R. Kaufman).
Living or lasting only for a day, as certain plants or insects do.

n. A markedly short-lived thing.

[From Greek ephēmeros : ep-, epi-, epi- + hēmerā, day.]

e·phem'er·al'i·ty, e·phem'er·al·ness n., e·phem'er·al·ly adv.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

ephemeral
adjective
1.	lasting a very short time; "the ephemeral joys of childhood"; "a passing fancy"; "youth's transient beauty"; "love is transitory but it is eternal"; "fugacious blossoms"
noun
1.	anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its winged form [syn: ephemeron]

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ephem·er·al
Pronunciation: i-'fem(-&)-r&l, -'fEm-
Function: adjective
: lasting a very short time

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ephemeral

Day"fly`\ (d[=a]"fl[imac]`), n. (Zo["o]l.) A neuropterous insect of the genus Ephemera and related genera, of many species, and inhabiting fresh water in the larval state; the ephemeral fly; -- so called because it commonly lives but one day in the winged or adult state. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ephemeral

E*phem"e*ra\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? a day fly, fr. ? daily, lasting but a day; ? over + ? day.]

1. (Med.) A fever of one day's continuance only.

2. (Zo["o]l.) A genus of insects including the day flies, or ephemeral flies. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral.

On-line Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

ephemeral

ephemeral: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary

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