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eureka
[ yoo-ree-kuh, yuh- ]
/ yʊˈri kə, yə- /
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interjection
(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.
(used as an exclamation of triumph at a discovery.)
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Origin of eureka
1560–70; <Greek heúrēka, 1st person singular perfect indicative of heurískein to find, discover
Words nearby eureka
Eurasian, Eurasian Plate, Euratom, Eure, Eure-et-Loir, eureka, eureka moment, Eureka Stockade, eurhythmic, eurhythmics, eurhythmy
Other definitions for eureka (2 of 2)
Eureka
[ yoo-ree-kuh, yuh- ]
/ yʊˈri kə, yə- /
noun
a city in NW California.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use eureka in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for eureka
eureka
/ (jʊˈriːkə) /
interjection
an exclamation of triumph on discovering or solving something
Word Origin for eureka
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
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
Cultural definitions for eureka
Eureka!
[ (yoo-ree-kuh) ]
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.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.