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

During the gutting of the 100-year-old theater, the filmmaker John Wilson stopped by to scour for ephemera — posters, chairs, anything. —Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 9 Apr. 2025

Sales of the set were bolstered by its availability across more than 20 CD variants (all containing collectible paper ephemera, some randomized). —Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 23 Mar. 2025

On the ephemera, memories and images that symbolize the Community Center: Antoinette is my grandmother who passed away in 2012. —Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025

Woven around these, the story is told by 30 items of archival ephemera, including original bottles, heritage products, packaging, and artworks. —Gemma A. Williams, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek ephēmera, neuter plural of ephēmeros

First Known Use

1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for ephemera

• femora