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Eureka

[yoo-REE-kə]

Part of speech: exclamation

Origin: Greek, early 17th century

1.

A cry of joy or satisfaction when one finds or discovers something.

2.

Marked by usually sudden triumphant discovery.

Examples of Eureka in a sentence

"When Seth solved the complicated problem, he cried out “Eureka!”"

"Maria had a eureka moment that made the rest of her day much easier."

About Eureka

This word comes from the Greek “heurēka,” meaning “I have found it,” originally from “heuriskein,” or “find.” Legend has it that Archimedes said this when he discovered a method of determining the purity of gold.

Did you Know?

Eureka is also a port city located on northern California’s Humboldt Bay. The area was settled in the 1850s to provide a convenient alternative route to supply miners on the network of rivers where gold was discovered during the Gold Rush. “Eureka” (which originally translated to "I have found it!") is also the California state motto.

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