ephemeron
- A thing that exists or is used for only a short time; often used in the plural 'ephemera' to refer to collectible items of short-term usefulness such as tickets, pamphlets, or posters.
In a sentence
- The museum's collection of Victorian ephemera includes railway timetables, trade cards, and handbills.
- Every concert ticket is an ephemeron — trivial at the time, yet treasured decades later.
Usage note. The plural 'ephemera' is far more common in everyday use than the singular 'ephemeron'; in collecting circles, it specifically refers to printed or written paper items intended for short-term use.
Where it comes from
English ephemeron · entered English late 16th c.
From Greek 'ephēmeron,' the neuter form of 'ephēmeros,' meaning 'lasting only a day,' composed of 'epi-' (on, for) and 'hēmera,' meaning 'day.' It entered English in the late 16th century, initially as a biological term for short-lived organisms.