Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
adjective
- lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.
- lasting but one day: an ephemeral flower.
noun
- anything short-lived, as certain insects.
adjective
- lasting for only a short time; transitory; short-livedephemeral pleasure
noun
- a short-lived organism, such as the mayfly
- a plant that completes its life cycle in less than one year, usually less than six months
1560s; see ephemera + -al (1). Related: Ephemerality. Originally of diseases and lifespans; extended sense of “transitory” is from 1630s.