eureka

¹

[yoo-ree-kuh, yuh-]

interjection

1. (initial capital letter),  I have found (it): the reputed exclamation of Archimedes when, after long study, he discovered a method of detecting the amount of alloy mixed with the gold in the crown of the king of Syracuse.

2. (used as an exclamation of triumph at a discovery.)

Eureka

²

[yoo-ree-kuh, yuh-]

noun

1. a city in NW California.

eureka

/ jʊˈriːkə /

interjection

1. an exclamation of triumph on discovering or solving something

Eureka!

1. A Greek word meaning “I have found it!” An exclamation that accompanies a discovery: “When she finally located the rare book, the scholar cried, ‘Eureka!’” (See Archimedes.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Eureka!¹

1560–70; < Greek heúrēka, 1st person singular perfect indicative of heurískein to find, discover

Word History and Origins

Origin of Eureka!¹

C17: from Greek heurēka I have found (it), from heuriskein to find; traditionally the exclamation of Archimedes when he realized, during bathing, that the volume of an irregular solid could be calculated by measuring the water displaced when it was immersed

Example Sentences

This is a eureka moment for astronomers as they just found a new way to track Venusian weather over the past decade - the longest duration of observation ever.

Read more on Space Scoop

"That was the real eureka moment," said Dr. Merghoub.

Read more on Science Daily

“I smell fresh water, salt, hardtack, and sauerkraut. And all these empty barrels were once filled with”—she sniffed deeply, to sort it out from the general fishy smell of the dock—“not sole, not flounder, but herring, if I am not mistaken. . . . Empty barrels! Eureka!”

Read more on Literature

“Eureka!” she exclaimed at last.

Read more on Literature

“No birthday cards means no danger of paper cuts. No cake means I will have a good appetite for supper. And no birthday candles greatly reduces the risk of accidental fire. Really, I am quite lucky to be spared all that bother. If there is anyone for whom one ought to feel sorry, it is the children. Even if they did know when their birthdays were, I am quite sure the wolves in the forest would not have had the slightest notion of how to throw a decent party....Eureka!”

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• amazement 
• astonishment 
• awe 
• bewilderment 
• consternation 
• curiosity 
• disappointment 
• jolt 
• miracle 
• revelation 
• shock 
• wonder