Word of the Day for Friday August 19, 2005
ephemeral \ih-FEM-er-ul\, adjective:
1. Beginning and ending in a day; existing only, or no longer
than, a day; as, an ephemeral flower.
2. Short-lived; existing or continuing for a short time only.
In the 1980s, Lt. Col. Oliver North unwittingly proved that
e-mail, so apparently ephemeral, is harder to [1]expunge
than paper documents comfortingly run through a shredder.
--Amy Harmon, "E-Mail Is Treacherous. So Why Do We Keep
Trusting It?" [2]New York Times, March 26, 2000
In "Mississippi Mermaid," the planter character played by
Belmondo, a fellow who has sought a safe, permanent love,
is liberated when he chooses to follow the ephemeral.
--Vincent Canby, "Truffaut's Clear-Eyed Quest." [3]New York
Times, September 14, 1975
Rather, we must separate what is ephemeral... from the
things that are of lasting importance.
--Patrick Smith, Japan: A Reinterpretation |
