Kurzlebige

Kurzlebige is a German adjective meaning “short-lived” or “ephemeral.” It describes something that has a brief lifespan, limited duration, or only a small window of existence. The term is commonly used for organisms with short life cycles, but also applies to products, events, or trends that do not last long.

In biology and ecology, kurzlebige organisms are those whose life spans or developmental stages are brief, such as some annual plants or ephemeral insects. In everyday language it can describe anything from a kurzlebige Karriere (short-lived career) to eine kurzlebige Modeerscheinung (a short-lived fashion trend). The phrase is flexible and can modify nouns of any gender and number through standard German adjective declension, for example: eine kurzlebige Pflanze, ein kurzlebiges Tier, kurze kurzlebige Arten.

Etymology and usage notes: The root is kurz- (“short”) combined with a form related to Leben (“life”), yielding kurzlebig. The attributive form kur zlebige declines as gewohnt: eine kurzlebige Zeit, der kurzlebige Trend, kurzlebige Arten. The term emphasizes transience rather than intrinsic value, and it is widely understood in scientific and colloquial contexts.

See also: ephemeral, lifespan, life cycle, transient phenomena.