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

Uh uh, method dressing is forever, at least for Timothée Chalamet—until the next role-of-a-lifetime comes along, or the parcels of Bob Dylan ephemera pillaged from the online auction houses stop coming through the young actor’s door that is. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2025

The knives, like hundreds of collections of ephemera scattered in the corners and on the walls of L.A.’s countless grocery stores, are a museum exhibit hidden in plain sight. —Vanessa Anderson, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2025

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

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