ephemera

noun

ephem·​era i-ˈfe-mə-rə 

-ˈfem-rə

plural ephemera also ephemerae i-ˈfe-mə-rē 

-ˈfem-rē

or ephemeras

1

: something of no lasting significance

—usually used in plural

2

ephemera plural : paper items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) that were originally meant to be discarded after use but have since become collectibles

Examples of ephemera in a Sentence

He has a large collection of old menus and other ephemera.

Recent Examples on the Web

Popular on Variety Music superstardom has a lot of ephemera — along with top-value items like the ones above, there are clothes, setlists, scripts, riders, schedules and other items that are either used briefly and discarded, or sit in storage units for years or decades. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 21 May 2024

Both galleries complement the artist’s works with ephemera from throughout his career, including photographs, letters, stencils and designs for posters and fliers. —Gisela Williams Emilia Petrarca John Wogan Jameson Montgomery Caitie Kelly Jameson Montgomery, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek ephēmera, neuter plural of ephēmeros

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1