fugacious

[ fyoo-gey-shuhs ]

adjective

1. fleeting; transient:

   a sensational story with but a fugacious claim on the public's attention.

2. Botany. falling or fading early.

fugacious

/ fjuːˈɡeɪʃəs /

adjective

1. passing quickly away; transitory; fleeting
2. botany lasting for only a short time

   fugacious petals

Derived Forms

• fuˈgaciousness, noun
• fuˈgaciously, adverb

Other Words From

• fu·gacious·ly adverb
• fu·gacious·ness fu·gac·i·ty [fyoo-, gas, -i-tee], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fugacious¹

1625–35; < Latin fugāci- (stem of fugāx apt to flee, fleet, derivative of fugere to flee + -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of fugacious¹

C17: from Latin fugax inclined to flee, swift, from fugere to flee; see fugitive

Example Sentences

Last year, Finlayson, a young trumpeter with an appetite for tangled rhythm and lithe, fugacious melody, released a compelling album, “3 Times Round,” with his sextet.

From New York Times

The moment you catch the tiger by the tail, there’s a new tiger whose fugacious tail requires catching.

From Forbes

The Reporter, on the other hand, calls it "a fugacious bit of whimsy that can only be judged minor Woody Allen".

From The Guardian

Petals 5, rarely 6, inserted on the calyx with the 7–20 stamens, fugacious.

From Project Gutenberg

In this way Masdevallia, Sobralia, and other fugacious flowers may be used for decorative purposes for two evenings at least, but in the absence of immersion they would wither in a very short time.

From Project Gutenberg