Fugace

Fugace is an adjective in Italian that describes something brief in duration or lasting only for a short while. It is commonly used for moments, appearances, or impressions that vanish quickly.

Etymology: The word derives from Latin fugax “fleeing, fugitive,” via Italian. In English, a related word is fugacious. The form fugace is not widely used in modern English; when encountered, it is typically in literary or scholarly contexts.

Usage: In Italian, fugace is a standard everyday descriptor. In English, it appears primarily in translations, discussions of linguistics, or in poetry to convey a refined register. Examples: Italian: “La luce fugace del tramonto.” English readers might encounter a translation or a borrowed use such as “the fugace light of sunset” or “a fugace moment of joy,” though the latter is relatively uncommon in everyday English.

Related terms: Fugace has a cognate English adjective, fugacious, meaning tending to flee or fleeting. Related technical term: fugacity, used in physics and chemistry to describe the escaping tendency of a substance. Ephemerality is a general English noun referring to the quality of lasting a short time, often used in similar contexts to describe fleeting phenomena.