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

The new facility has offices and exhibition space, and also stores more than 30,000 pieces of art and ephemera. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2025

Segal’s collection now includes several hundred works, a vast archive of ephemera, and a research library dedicated to the 31 artists. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 Mar. 2025

The Video Game History Foundation has officially opened up digital access to a large portion of its massive archives today, offering fans and researchers unprecedented access to information and ephemera surrounding the past 50 years of the game industry. —Ars Technica, 30 Jan. 2025

The exhibition room at the University of Chicago’s Special Collections — accessible upon request at the Joseph Regenstein Library — trains its gaze on women in the field, displaying books and ephemera from the last 500 years. —Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 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