ephemera
noun
ephem·era i-ˈfe-mər-ə 
-ˈfem-rə
plural ephemera also ephemerae i-ˈfe-mər-ē
-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
Example Sentences
He has a large collection of old menus and other ephemera.
Recent Examples on the Web The companies that created early games left behind design documents and production timelines and story bibles, but these kinds of ephemera—and even the games themselves—are easily lost. 
Bijan Stephen, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2022 In addition to the posters, the show includes such amusing ephemera as playing cards with anti-religious images and an ashtray in the shape of an Orthodox priest. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022 This survey of close to 300 works of art and ephemera, in a suave design by Selldorf Architects, starts by putting us smack in the middle of downtown Manhattan with a mural-size photo of foot traffic on West 8th Street in Greenwich Village. New York Times, 21 July 2022 Organized by curators Javier Arellano Vences, Pilar Tompkins Rivas and Joseph Daniel Valencia, the show features art and ephemera by a range of figures in the field. Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2022 In between loads of cartoonish ultraviolence and B-movie horror ephemera came some honestly unutterable lyrics, which Bill fought his faith to perform. Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 28 June 2022 It was founded with the 1987 purchase of Randolph Linsly Simpson’s collection of Black art and ephemera, and has grown to more than 7,000 pieces in its collection. Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2022 Throughout the Hammer show, ephemera from progressive movements is presented alongside videos and sculptures that document and honor activists’ work. Catherine Womack, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2022 The social slippage that has led the world to become a macrocosm of the Swap Shop — so many of us free-diving for usable ephemera, pooling our limited resources with one another — is not something to celebrate. New York Times, 3 May 2022 See More
Bijan Stephen, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2022 In addition to the posters, the show includes such amusing ephemera as playing cards with anti-religious images and an ashtray in the shape of an Orthodox priest. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 19 July 2022 This survey of close to 300 works of art and ephemera, in a suave design by Selldorf Architects, starts by putting us smack in the middle of downtown Manhattan with a mural-size photo of foot traffic on West 8th Street in Greenwich Village. New York Times, 21 July 2022 Organized by curators Javier Arellano Vences, Pilar Tompkins Rivas and Joseph Daniel Valencia, the show features art and ephemera by a range of figures in the field. Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2022 In between loads of cartoonish ultraviolence and B-movie horror ephemera came some honestly unutterable lyrics, which Bill fought his faith to perform. Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 28 June 2022 It was founded with the 1987 purchase of Randolph Linsly Simpson’s collection of Black art and ephemera, and has grown to more than 7,000 pieces in its collection. Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 31 May 2022 Throughout the Hammer show, ephemera from progressive movements is presented alongside videos and sculptures that document and honor activists’ work. Catherine Womack, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2022 The social slippage that has led the world to become a macrocosm of the Swap Shop — so many of us free-diving for usable ephemera, pooling our limited resources with one another — is not something to celebrate. New York Times, 3 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Greek ephēmera, neuter plural of ephēmeros
First Known Use
1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1
ephemera
noun
as in curiosa
things that are important or useful for only a short time; items that were not meant to have lasting value —usually plural He has a large collection of old menus and other ephemera. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- curiosa
- exotic
- curio
- rarity
- oddment
- objet
- oddity
- virtu
- vertu
- marvel
- found object
- objet d'art
- rara avis
- curiosity
- anomaly
- wonder
- prodigy
- rare bird
- objet trouvé
- abnormality
- mutant
- monster
- mutation
- freak
- malformation
- monstrosity