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Beginning and ending in a day; existing only, or no longer than, a day; diurnal; as, an ephemeral flower.

A genus consisting mostly of tropical perennial herbs (Commelina), having ephemeral flowers.

and related genera, of many species, and inhabiting fresh water in the larval state; the ephemeral fly; -- so called because it commonly lives but one day in the winged or adult state. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral.

imonious or invective harangue; a strain of abusive or railing language; a philippic. The ephemeral diatribe of a faction. John Morley.

A genus of insects including the day flies, or ephemeral flies. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral.

One of the ephemeral flies.

Ephemeral.

One of the ephemeral flies.

Ephemeral. [R.] Burke.

over. It becomes ep- before a vowel, as in epoch, and eph- before a Greek aspirate, as in ephemeral.

Occurring once an hour; continuing an hour; hourly; ephemeral. Horary, or soon decaying, fruits of summer. Sir T. Browne. Horary circles. See Circles.

Like an insect; small; mean; ephemeral.

d allied genera; -- so called because the mature flies of many species appear in May. See Ephemeral fly, under Ephemeral. -- May game, any May-day sport. -- May lady, the queen or lady of May, in old May games. -- May lily (Bot.), the lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis). -- May pole. See Maypole in the Vocabul…

An American endogenous plant (Tradescantia Virginica), with long linear leaves and ephemeral blue flowers. The name is sometimes extended to other species of the same genus.