Mawson, C.O.S., ed. (1870–1938). Roget’s International Thesaurus. 1922. Class I. Words Expressing Abstract Relations Section VI. Time 1. Absolute Time 111. [Short Duration.] Transience.
NOUN: TRANSIENCE, transiency, ephemerality, transientness [rare ] &c. adj.; evanescence, impermanence or impermanency, preterience [rare ], volatility, fugacity, caducity [rare ], mortality, span; nine days’ wonder, bubble, Mayfly; spurt; temporary arrangement, interregnum, interim.VELOCITY [See Velocity ]; suddenness [See Instantaneity ]; changeableness [See Changeableness ].EPHEMERON; transient, transient boarder, transient guest, transient rates [all colloq., U. S. ]. VERB: BE TRANSIENT &c. adj.; flit, pass away, fly, gallop, vanish, fleet, sink, melt, fade, evaporate; pass away like a -cloud, -summer cloud, - shadow, - dream. ADJECTIVE: TRANSIENT, transitory, transitive; passing, evanescent, fleeting; flying &c. v.; fugacious, fugitive; transeunt, interim, shifting, slippery; spasmodic.TEMPORAL, temporary; provisional, provisory; cursory, short-lived, ephemeral, ephemerous [rare ], preterient [rare ], caducous [rare ], deciduous; perishable, mortal, precarious; impermanent.BRIEF, quick, brisk, fleet, cometary, meteoric, volatile, extemporaneous, summary; pressed for time (haste ) [See Haste ]; sudden, momentary (instantaneous ) [See Instantaneity ]. ADVERB: TEMPORARILY &c. adj.; pro tempore [L. ]; for the moment, for a time; awhile, en passant [F. ], in transitu [L. ]; in a short time; soon (early ) [See Earliness ]; briefly &c. adj.; at short notice; on the point of, on the eve of; in articulo [L. ]; between cup and lip. QUOTATIONS: One’s days are numbered.
The time is up.
Here to-day and gone to-morrow.
Non semper erit æstas.
Eheu! fugaces labuntur anni.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
A schoolboy’s tale, the wonder of the hour!—Byron
Dum loquimur fugerit invidia ætas.
Fugit hora.
