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

Capturing the Civil War The images, diaries, and ephemera in Grand Valley State University’s Civil War and Slavery Collection reveal the cold realities of Abraham Lincoln’s world. —JSTOR Daily, 15 Feb. 2025

That means no bit parts like The Slaughter Rule or The Ex, no direct-to-video ephemera like Cruel Intentions 2, and nothing that lacked a proper release. —Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024

What would otherwise be ephemera are, in Lynch’s hands, thought-out, experimental, and entirely in his voice. —Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 17 Jan. 2025

Kenny doesn’t think twice about stuffing furnishings from her treasure hunts into the back of her tiny Nissan Versa — she has been known to secure items with bungee cords — or repurposing everyday ephemera into something special. —Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 4 Dec. 2024

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