From Late Latin (for classical transeunt-), stem of transiēns, present participle of transire.

• (RP) IPA: /ˈtɹan.zi.ənt/, /ˈtɹɑːn.zi.ənt/, /-si.ənt/
• (America) IPA: /ˈtɹæn.ʃənt/, /ˈtɹæn.si.ənt/, /ˈtɹæn.zi.ənt/

transient

1. Passing or disappearing with time; transitory.

   a transient pleasure

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC ↗; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC ↗:

     this transient world

   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC ↗, Canto XVI, page 26 ↗:

     Or doth she only seem to take
     ⁠The touch of change in calm or storm;
     ⁠But knows no more of transient form
     In her deep self, than some dead lake
     That holds the shadow of a lark
     ⁠Hung in the shadow of a heaven?

2. Remaining for only a brief time.

   a transient view of a landscape

   a transient disease

   • 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter IV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC ↗, page 27 ↗:

     Taking advantage of the surprise, which assured him at least transient attention, he continued, addressing himself particularly to Evelyn.

3. (physics) Decaying with time, especially exponentially.
4. (mathematics, stochastic processes, of a state) having a positive probability of being left and never being visited again.
5. Occasional; isolated; one-off
6. Passing through; passing from one person to another.
7. (music) Intermediate.
8. (philosophy) Operating beyond itself; having an external effect.

• (passing) passing, transitory, temporary
• (brief) brief, ephemeral, fleeting, flighty, fugacious

• (antonym(s) of “passing”): permanent
• (antonym(s) of “brief”): permanent, chronic, inveterate
• (antonym(s) of “mathematics”): recurrent
• (antonym(s) of “philosophy”): immanent

• French: passager, provisoire, transitoire, temporaire
• German: vergänglich, vorübergehend, temporär, instationär, Übergangs- (prefix), unbeständig, Ausgleichs- (prefix), abklingend, transient
• Italian: transitorio
• Portuguese: transitório
• Russian: преходя́щий
• Spanish: transitorio

• French: bref, éphémère, fugace
• German: kurzzeitig, flüchtig, kurzlebig, passager
• Russian: временный

• German: kurzlebig, flüchtig, zerfallend

• German: transient

• German: gelegentlich, isoliert, einmalig, Augenblicks- (prefix)
• Russian: случа́йный

• German: Durchgangs- (prefix), durchlaufend, Ausgleichs- (prefix), mobil

transient (plural transients)

1. Something that is transient.
2. (physics) A transient phenomenon, especially an electric current; a very brief surge.
3. (acoustics) A relatively loud, non-repeating signal in an audio waveform that occurs very quickly, such as the attack of a snare drum.
4. A person who passes through a place for a short time; a traveller; a migrant worker.
5. A homeless person.
6. (programming) A module that generally remains in memory only for a short time.
   • 1990, Gary A. Stotts, DOS/VSE: Introduction to the Operating System, page 102:

     These areas function to single thread supervisor routines that are loaded as needed. The Logical Transient Area (LTA) processes $$B transients.

7. (Philippines) A homestay.

• (traveller) itinerant, migrant, traveller
• (homeless person) homeless

• German: Übergang

• German: Transiente
• Italian: transiente

• German: Einschwingungsvorgang

• French: itinérant
• German: Reisende, Reisender, Durchreisende, Durchreisender
• Spanish: trotamundo, transeúnte

• French: clochard, clodo, sans-abri, SDF
• German: Obdachlose, Obdachloser