Ephemeral#
25 July 2022
ephemeral
(adjective) Lasting for a very short time. [1]
Origin#
Late 16th century, from the Greek word ephēmeros.
Example#
“But what does that mean – ephemeral?” repeated the little prince, who never in his life had let go of a question, once he had asked it.
“It means, which is in danger of speedy disappearance.”
“Is my flower in danger of speedy disappearance?”
“Certainly it is.”
– Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de. “The Little Prince”.
Notes#
Ephēmeros means ‘lasting only a day’. The neuter form of ephēmeros also gives the singular ephemeron (plural, ephemera), which originally denoted a plant said by ancient writers to last only one day, or an insect with a short lifespan.
So, next time you see something like Ephemeral containers are created by using a special _ephemeralcontainers_ handler in the API, please know that such containers are in danger of speedy disappearance.
Another word that shares the same root is ‘ephemeris’, which is the word for tables that contain the positions of stars and planets at specific times over a specific period.
Sometimes, the Greek word Ephēmeros is also used in the sense of a diary or journal, and calendar. Which brings us to the Farmer’s Almanac. Rooted in ancient wisdom and folklore, farming-by-the-stars is still a viable practise that’s followed in several countries.
And farming produces food, which is always in danger of speedy disappearance.