ephemera

noun ephem·era \ i-ˈfe-mər-ə , -ˈfem-rə \

|Updated on: 31 Jul 2018

Definition of ephemera

plural ephemera also ephemerae play \i-ˈfe-mər-ē, -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

See ephemera defined for English-language learners

Examples of ephemera in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of ephemera from the Web

That aspect could be improved, too, either showing ephemera in a window during commercial breaks or airing it instead of the highlight packages that fans can get elsewhere.

— jacob feldman, SI.com, "Wimbledon Embraces Technology and Tradition in Unique Way," 2 July 2018
The walls of the tavern, which has dark brown pressed-tin ceilings and equine silhouettes galloping across every surface, are lined with paintings and ephemera paying homage to Thomas.

— jennifer larue, The Seattle Times, "Soaking up Manhattan’s literary history: A book lover’s bar-hopping guide," 2 July 2018
The new option of displaying private, quasi-underground material ephemera from a radical movement feels, to some, like coming out of the closet all over again, as well as an admission of our own mortality.

— bonnie j. morris, Smithsonian, "How Should We Archive the Soundtrack to 1970s Feminism?," 30 Mar. 2018
In 2012 Lightfoot started an online forum for women about gun culture (and to sell the latest gun ephemera).

— ben wofford, Glamour, "The NRA's Most Wanted Customer: Women," 28 June 2018
The museum would be an ode to visual storytelling, drawn from the director's collection of film ephemera and fine art.

— chanan tigay, GQ, "Eric Garcetti Is the Anti-Trump, Pro–Star Wars Man We Need," 12 June 2018
Rose City Book & Paper Fair: Lovers of all things bookish are invited to the 12th annual Rose City Book & Paper Fair, which will feature more than 60 dealers in used, rare and antiquarian books and ephemera.

— amy wang, OregonLive.com, "Barbara Boxer will open 2018-19 Portland lecture series; Rose City Book & Paper Fair returns," 9 June 2018
The show will comprise paintings, photographs and ephemera primarily from the 1960s, when she and her then-husband, the painter Robert Motherwell, would decamp to Provincetown in the summer.

— sarah medford, WSJ, "Growing Up With Helen Frankenthaler on Cape Cod," 30 May 2018
One surprising remnant of '70s pop culture ephemera put an elementary school staff in a foul mood when a student used a restroom to change the color of his mood ring.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "Here's how NOT to change the color of your mood ring. First-grader gets a hard lesson. | Miami Herald," 19 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ephemera.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ephemera

New Latin, from Greek ephēmera, neuter plural of ephēmeros

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1650

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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EPHEMERA Defined for English Language Learners

ephemera

noun

Definition of ephemera for English Language Learners

: things that are important or useful for only a short time : items that were not meant to have lasting value

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