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 : items (such as posters, broadsides, and tickets) originally meant to be discarded after use but that later become collectibles

Examples of ephemera in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The referee also faulted Adam Cohen for blocking the sale of his father’s archive, which includes 200 notebooks, as well as paintings, hats, instruments and other ephemera, and which was appraised at one point at $48 million. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 3 Apr. 2026

Those costumes, photos and other ephemera are now available to researchers and scholars. —Tony Bravo, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026

Keywords and concepts are linked to objects and ephemera, which are tagged and cross-referenced in a dense network that both thrills and confounds. —Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026

Alongside restaurant artifacts and other ephemera, one interactive section challenges visitors to assemble orders from inside a realistic pantry before time expires. —Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 30 Mar. 2026

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