Etymologically
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ephemeral

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɛˈfɛ.mə.ɹəl/, /əˈfɛ.mə.ɹəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Ancient Greek ἐφήμερος (ephḗmeros, “lasting a day”),[2][3][4][5] from Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí, “on”) + ἡμέρα (hēméra, “day”),[2][3][4] with the English suffix -al.[4][6][5] Middle English had an earlier borrowing effimera “a fever lasting a day” (before 1398), from Medieval Latin ephemera.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of diseases, insects and flowers, lasting only a day or a very few days (1576).[7][4][3][6]

Semantic evolution

The extended sense “short-lived, transitory” is recorded from the 1630s (before 1639).[7][4][6] The noun, for insects that live only a day, follows in 1817,[7] and Merriam-Webster records it for a plant that grows, flowers and dies within a few days (1807).[3]

Timeline

  • before 1398 – Middle English effimera, a one-day fever.[4]
  • 1576 – lasting only a day.[7][4][3]
  • before 1639 – short-lived, transitory.[7][4]
  • 1807 – noun, a short-lived plant.[3]
  • 1817 – noun, insects living only a day.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Lasting a very short time; fleeting.
  2. Living or lasting only a day.

Noun

  1. Something short-lived.

Word family

  • ephemerality
  • ephemerally
  • ephemeralness
  • ephemera
  • ephemeron
  • mayfly

Usage notes

Random House lists fleeting, evanescent, transient, momentary and brief as synonyms, and permanent as the antonym.[5]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press