- Today's Word
Ephemeral
ih-FEM-er-uhl
Definition
(adjective) Lasting for a very short time; fleeting or brief.
Example
The beauty of the rainbow was ephemeral, fading from the sky just minutes after it appeared.
Word Origin
Ephemeral comes from the Greek ephemeros, meaning “lasting only a day.” The term originally described short-lived natural events—like morning dew or certain insects that survive for just one sunrise—before expanding to anything that disappears quickly.
Fun Fact
Some of the world’s most spectacular natural events are profoundly ephemeral. Desert wildflowers, for example, may wait years for the perfect rainfall before blooming all at once in breathtaking “super blooms” that vanish within days. These rare explosions of color appear suddenly, draw global attention, and then fade almost as quickly as they came—perfect reminders of how beauty often exists only for a moment.