noun
ephemera
ih-FEM-er-uh/ɪˈfemərə/
Items intended for brief use, especially collectible printed material.
The museum collects ephemera such as tickets, postcards, and flyers.
Etymology
These pieces conveyed “lasting for a day,” a meaning later broadened to things of transitory existence. For disposable items, the short lifespan is their intended period of usefulness.
In context
he filled the journals with ephemera from his young life newspaper clippings food labels cards picked up on month in london phone books green even grains of rice
More examples
- She finds a box of old campaign ephemera in the attic.
- These restaurant menus are ephemera from the city's past.
- He stores fragile ephemera in acid-free sleeves.
Forms
ephemera · ephemeron
ephemeral adjective — Lasting for only a short time.
Similar words
- memorabilia
- Kept for memorable associations, not necessarily intended for brief use.
- collectibles
- Valued for collecting, whether short-lived paper items or durable objects.