ephemeral en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /əˈfɛ.mə.ɹəl/
- (US) audio
- /ɛˈfɛ.mə.ɹəl/
Etymology
From New Latin ephemerus, from Ancient Greek ἐφήμερος (ephḗmeros), the more common form of ἐφημέριος (ephēmérios, “of, for, or during the day, living or lasting but for a day, short-lived, temporary”), from ἐπί (epí, “on”) + ἡμέρα (hēméra, “day”).
Meanings
-
Lasting for a short period of time.
sentences not of ephemeral, but of eternal, efficacy
1853, James Stephen, Lecture on the right use of Books:It was during an access of this kind that I suddenly left my home, and bending my steps towards the near Alpine valleys, sought in the magnificence, the eternity of such scenes, to forget myself and my ephemeral, because human, sorrows.
1818, Mary Shelley, chapter 9, in Frankenstein, archived from the original on 03 Apr 2012:1821-1822, Vicesimus Knox, Remarks on the tendency of certain Clauses in a Bill now pending in Parliament to degrade Grammar Schools Esteem, lasting esteem, the esteem of good men, like himself, will be his reward, when the gale of ephemeral popularity shall have gradually subsided.
- Existing for only one day, as with some flowers, insects, and diseases.
-
(of a body of water) Usually dry, but filling with water for brief periods during and after precipitation.
The graben constitutes a depositional basin and a topographic low, underlain by Cretaceous shales, in which volcanic debris accumulated in ephemeral lakes and streams in Oligocene and early Miocene time.
1986, W.H. Raymond, "Clinoptilolite Deposit in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, U.S.A.", in Yūichi Murakami et al. (editors), New Developments in Zeolite Science and Technology (conference proceedings), Elsevier, page 80
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more ephemeral | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most ephemeral | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
eternal · lasting · eternal · perennial · persistent · permanent · everlasting · timeless
Deriveds
ephemerally · ephemeralization · ephemeral fever · ephemeralness · ephemeral lake · bovine ephemeral fever · ephemeralize · ephemeral state · nonephemeral · unephemeral
Hyponyms
Relateds
temporarily · moment · unsteady · transience · hemeral · ephemeron · ephemerality · speedy · intermittent · unstable · ephemera
Synonyms
momentary · short · fugacious · flying · short · perishable · whilend · earthly · deciduous · volatile · worldly · instant · transitory · passing · fugitive · quick · transient · fleeting · ephemeral · fleeting · brief · evanescent · seasonable · evanescent · volatile · temporary · momentary · temporary · short-lived · transitory · transitive · short-lived
Translations (106)
cs krátkodobý (lasting for a short period of time) · sh ȅfemēran (lasting for a short period of time) · be мімалётны (lasting for a short period of time) · sv förgänglig (lasting for a short period of time) · he בֶּן חֲלוֹף (lasting for a short period of time) · sl začasen (lasting for a short period of time) · mi rangitahi (lasting for a short period of time) · bg краткотраен (lasting for a short period of time) · ru недолговечный (lasting for a short period of time) · no kortvarig (lasting for a short period of time) · cs efemerní (lasting for a short period of time) · bg еднодневен (existing for only one day) · nl eendaags (existing for only one day) · el εφήμερος (existing for only one day) · hu tiszavirág-életű (existing for only one day) · cmn 一時的 /一时的 (lasting for a short period of time) · is skammær (lasting for a short period of time) · is skammvinnur (lasting for a short period of time) · de ephemer (lasting for a short period of time) · it effimero (lasting for a short period of time) · cs dočasný (lasting for a short period of time) · sv flyktig (lasting for a short period of time) · sv efemär (lasting for a short period of time) · ro trecător (lasting for a short period of time) · nl eendags (existing for only one day) · mk едно́дневен (existing for only one day) · eo efemera momenta (lasting for a short period of time) · fi päivä- (existing for only one day) · mk кратко́траен (lasting for a short period of time) · sh prìvremen (lasting for a short period of time) · ja 泡沫 (lasting for a short period of time) · be мінучы (lasting for a short period of time) · uk ефемерний (lasting for a short period of time) · hy անցողիկ (lasting for a short period of time) · nl kortstondig (lasting for a short period of time) · id fana (lasting for a short period of time) · gl efémero (lasting for a short period of time) · is dægurlangur (existing for only one day) · is skammlífur (lasting for a short period of time) · it fuggevole (lasting for a short period of time) · da døgnflue (existing for only one day) · hu efemer (lasting for a short period of time) · ro efemer (existing for only one day) · da midlertidig (lasting for a short period of time) · de flüchtig (lasting for a short period of time) · ko 재지 않는 (lasting for a short period of time) · ro efemer (lasting for a short period of time) · cy undydd (existing for only one day) · cmn 昙花一现的 (existing for only one day) · uk швидкоплинний (lasting for a short period of time) · cmn 朝生暮死的 (existing for only one day) · yue 一時嘅 /一时嘅 (lasting for a short period of time) · pt efêmero (lasting for a short period of time) · cy undydd (lasting for a short period of time) · is hverfull (lasting for a short period of time) · da kortlivet (lasting for a short period of time) · mi rangitahi (existing for only one day) · fi päivän- (existing for only one day) · ru эфеме́рный (lasting for a short period of time) · it transitorio (lasting for a short period of time) · ru мимолётный (lasting for a short period of time) · cmn 短暫的 /短暂的 (lasting for a short period of time) · tr efemera (lasting for a short period of time) · oc efemèr (lasting for a short period of time) · it passeggero (lasting for a short period of time) · sv kortlivad (lasting for a short period of time) · fi ohimenevä (lasting for a short period of time) · ru непродолжительный (lasting for a short period of time) · ga gearrshaolach (lasting for a short period of time) · el εφήμερος (lasting for a short period of time) · ca efímer (lasting for a short period of time) · kmr demkî (lasting for a short period of time) · cy byrhoedlog (lasting for a short period of time) · de Eintags- (existing for only one day) · fi lyhytaikainen (lasting for a short period of time) · sh krȁtkotrājan (lasting for a short period of time) · pl efemeryczny (existing for only one day) · ga breacshaolach (lasting for a short period of time) · pt efémero (lasting for a short period of time) · it fugace (lasting for a short period of time) · hu röpke (lasting for a short period of time) · sl kratkotrajen (lasting for a short period of time) · pl efemeryczny (lasting for a short period of time) · yue 短暫嘅 /短暂嘅 (lasting for a short period of time) · pl ulotny (lasting for a short period of time) · hu kérészéletű (lasting for a short period of time) · hy վաղանցիկ (lasting for a short period of time) · ja はかない (lasting for a short period of time) · uk одноденний (existing for only one day) · ru однодневный (existing for only one day) · nl vluchtig (lasting for a short period of time) · nl vergankelijk (lasting for a short period of time) · sh ȅfemēran (existing for only one day) · de vergänglich (lasting for a short period of time) · hi क्षणभंगुर (lasting for a short period of time) · ru преходящий (lasting for a short period of time) · fr éphémère (lasting for a short period of time) · be эфемерны (lasting for a short period of time) · fi päivän kestävä (existing for only one day) · bg мимолетен (lasting for a short period of time) · fi hetkellinen (lasting for a short period of time) · ca efímer (existing for only one day) · be недаўгавечны (lasting for a short period of time) · es efímero (lasting for a short period of time) · ja 束の間の (lasting for a short period of time) · de kurzlebig (lasting for a short period of time)