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.

Previous Words

Inviolable

Today's Word

Inviolable

in-VY-uh-luh-bul

Definition

(adjective) Too important to be violated or compromised; secure from any assault or infringement.

Example

The organization had one inviolable rule — sources were never identified, under any circumstances, regardless of who was asking or what they were offering.

Word Origin

Inviolable derives from the Latin inviolabilis, meaning “that cannot be harmed” — built from in- (“not”) and violabilis (“able to be violated”), from violare (“to violate” or “to dishonor”), itself from vis meaning “force.” The same root gives us violate, violent, and inviolate — all words built around the idea of force applied against something that should be protected. It entered English in the 15th century, used in legal and religious contexts to describe rights, oaths, and sanctuaries that existed beyond the reach of ordinary power.

Fun Fact

The concept of inviolable sanctuary has ancient roots across virtually every human culture. In ancient Greece, the asylia — the right of sanctuary in a temple — was considered genuinely inviolable; armies that violated it risked divine punishment severe enough that many commanders refused to breach temple grounds even at significant military cost. In medieval Europe, the Church extended similar protections to anyone who reached consecrated ground. The modern concept of diplomatic immunity is a direct legal descendant of these ancient inviolable protections — the idea that certain persons and places exist in a category that force simply cannot legitimately reach.

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Ephemeral

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Previous Words

Inviolable

Inviolable

Definition

Example

Word Origin

Inviolable

Elucidate

Allay

Convivial

Mendacious