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ephemeral (adj) – 1. Lasting for a markedly brief time.
2. Having a short lifespan or a short annual period of aboveground growth. Used especially of plants.

(noun) – Something, especially a plant, that is ephemeral.

Source : The Free Dictionary

Etymology : The mayfly (order Ephemeroptera) typically hatches, matures, mates, and dies within the span of a few short hours (though the longest-lived may survive a record two days); poets sometimes use this insect to symbolize life’s ephemeral nature. When ephemeral (from the Greek word eph?meros, meaning “lasting a day”) first appeared in print in English in the late 16th century, it was a scientific term applied to short-term fevers, and later, to organisms (such as insects and flowers) with very short life spans. Soon after that, it acquired an extended sense referring to anything fleeting and short-lived, as in “ephemeral pleasures.”

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