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definitions

eta

[ey-tuh, ee-tuh]
|

noun

the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet (H, η).
the vowel sound represented by this letter.

Origin of eta

< Greek êta; compare Hebrew ḥeth heth

E.T.A.

or ETA

estimated time of arrival.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for eta

Contemporary Examples of eta

Historical Examples of eta

  • Even as an Eta, an outcast, would I have loved and sought her.

    The Dragon Painter

    Mary McNeil Fenollosa

  • Maybe that was mean, but Eta Bita Pie is not to be trifled with when she is aroused.

    At Good Old Siwash

    George Fitch

  • "You become an eta if you marry her," Hoshiko's mother was saying.

    The Way of the Gods

    John Luther Long

  • For no goddess can be an eta—even if it were possible for a mortal as beautiful as you to be an eta.

    The Way of the Gods

    John Luther Long

  • No samurai in all the thousands of years of our empire has ever married an eta!

    The Way of the Gods

    John Luther Long

British Dictionary definitions for eta

eta

1

noun

the seventh letter in the Greek alphabet (Η, η), a long vowel sound, transliterated as e or ē

Word Origin for eta

Greek, of Phoenician origin; compare Hebrew heth

eta

2

noun plural eta or etas

(in Japan, formerly) a member of a class of outcasts who did menial and dirty tasks

Word Origin for eta

C19: Japanese

ETA

1

abbreviation for

estimated time of arrival

ETA

2

n acronym for

Euzkadi ta Askatsuna: an organization of militant Basque nationalists attempting to gain independence for the Basques, esp those ruled by Spain, until a ceasefire in 1998, by means of guerrilla warfare

Word Origin for ETA

Basque, literally: Basque Nation and Liberty
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for eta

e.t.a.

abbreviation of estimated time (of) arrival, first attested 1939.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
eta in Medicine

eta

[ā′tə, ē′tə]

n.

The seventh letter of the Greek alphabet.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.