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ephemeral - 5 dictionary results

e⋅phem⋅er⋅al

  [i-fem-er-uhl]
Use ephemeral in a Sentence
–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- + hēmér(a) day + -os adj. suffix) + -al 1

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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ephemeral
e·phem·er·al   (ĭ-fěm'ər-əl)   
adj.  
  1. 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).
  2. 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Ephemeral

E*phem"er*al\, a. 1. Beginning and ending in a day; existing only, or no longer than, a day; diurnal; as, an ephemeral flower.

2. Short-lived; existing or continuing for a short time only. "Ephemeral popularity." --V. Knox.

Sentences not of ephemeral, but of eternal, efficacy. --Sir J. Stephen.

Ephemeral fly (Zo["o]l.), one of a group of neuropterous insects, belonging to the genus Ephemera and many allied genera, which live in the adult or winged state only for a short time. The larv[ae] are aquatic; -- called also day fly and May fly.

Ephemeral

E*phem"er*al\, n. Anything lasting but a day, or a brief time; an ephemeral plant, insect, etc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Main Entry: ephem·er·al
Pronunciation: i-'fem(-&)-r&l, -'fEm-
Function: adjective
: lasting a very short time
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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