ephemeral

• adj.短命；1日か2日の命
• n.1日しか生きられないもの

epi-, on, in.-euhemerism と語源的には同じ。もともとは、生きては死ぬ昆虫のことで、のちに短くはかない一生を表すようになった。

ephemeral

ephemeral: [16] Ephemeral, now used fairly loosely for ‘transitory’, originally meant specifically ‘lasting only one day’. It comes from Greek ephémeros, a compound formed from the prefix epí- ‘on’ and hēmérā ‘day’. The Greeks named the mayfly ephémeron, since its adult form lives only one day, and English adopted ephemeron [16] as the scientific name for the insect.

ephemeral (adj.)

1560s; see ephemera + -al (1). Originally of diseases and lifespans, "lasting but one day;" extended sense of "transitory" is from 1630s. Related: Ephemerally; ephemerality.

1. Most newspapers are of ephemeral interest.

多くの新聞は読者の短い注意を引くことしかできない。

2.These paintings are in some ways a reminder that earthly pleasures are ephemeral .

これらの絵は、ある意味で世俗的な享楽が短いことを思い出させる。

3.He talked about the country 's ephemeral unity being shatered by the defeat.

彼は敗戦が同国の短い統一を完全に破滅させたと語った。

4.And the steamboats，though their reign was longer，were ephemeral craft.

汽船の時代は比較的長いが、やはり朝な夕な道具である。

5.Such novels came forward to enjoy ephemeral popularity only.

のような小説は線香花火のようなものにすぎない。