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 eureka¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of eureka¹

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

And like so many Californians before him, he’s fueled by the promise of wealth, the secret riches buried in the earth, the “Eureka” moment always just out of reach.

From Los Angeles Times

“The materials in my computer simulations had formed two separate layers, a bit like oil and water. This was my ‘Eureka’ moment and became the basis of the new paper.”

From Salon

As for Brittney, five years after her eureka moment, she says she’s still “pinching” herself.

From BBC

For Brown, it was "a eureka moment".

From BBC

A Catholic hospital in Eureka has agreed to provide emergency abortion services after a state lawsuit said it had refused to give abortions to pregnant patients in life-threatening emergencies.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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