Ephemerally

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Existing in a way that emphasizes the briefness of time, illustrating moments that are transient and fleeting in nature
2. Having a nature that signifies transience, this term relates to experiences or phenomena that only exist for a brief duration while emphasizing the allure found in their fleeting presence
3. In a way that lasts only briefly and passes quickly

Etymology: "Ephemerally" is simply "ephemeral" with the adverbial ending "-ly" attached. The adjective "ephemeral" comes from Greek "ephēmeros", meaning "lasting only a day", built from "epi" ("upon") and "hēmera" ("day"). That literal sense of one-day existence is still present when we speak of a mayfly or a flower that blooms briefly. The suffix has a long ancestry of its own. It traces back through Old English "-līce" and Proto-Germanic "*-līkō", which were used to turn adjectives into adverbs and are related to the word "like" in its older sense of "body, form". So an adverb such as "ephemerally" is, at root, a phrase meaning "in an ephemeral manner", with the Greek day-word and the Germanic form-word joined together.

Synonyms: temporarily, briefly, momentarily, transiently, fleetingly

Antonyms: permanently, enduringly, lastingly