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

History Colorado, the state’s largest historical institution, confirmed this week that Barber has donated his massive collection of neon signs, matchbooks and menus, photographs, letters, and other ephemera from Colfax Avenue’s long, diverse history. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 22 Oct. 2025

The contradictory nature of life’s ephemera—is this not the golden goose of fiction writing? —Eric Olson september 23, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2025

This elusiveness is all the more alluring given that twenty-second-century researchers have access to a mountain of detail—the ephemera of our digital lives, preserved in Nigerian data centers. —Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025

Accessories included snap coin purse necklaces and clutches as well as dangling earrings made of small (real) books — a reference to the boxes of books and other ephemera residents leave out on stoops to pass along. —Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 17 Sep. 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