Greek original · Discovery
Εὕρηκα
Heurēka
“I have found it!”
Archimedes, according to Vitruvius (De architectura, Book 9, preface)
Meaning
What does “Heurēka” mean?
The cry of sudden discovery – the moment a solution becomes clear.
Origin
The story behind it
The Roman architect Vitruvius tells how Archimedes, stepping into a bath, saw the water rise and realised how to test whether a king’s crown was pure gold. He ran home shouting heureka! The story is told in Latin, but the cry is Greek.
Greek and Latin
From Greek to Latin
The Greek originalΕὕρηκα
Heurēka
In Latin
Vitruvius tells the story in Latin but keeps the Greek cry, so English took over eureka directly.
Pronunciation
How to say it
Classical HEW-ray-ka; in English usually yoo-REE-ka.
When to use it
How to use it today
Great for science classrooms, inventors, puzzle lovers and "aha" moments.
- Greek
- Εὕρηκα
- Transliteration
- Heurēka
- English
- I have found it!
- Source
- Archimedes, according to Vitruvius (De architectura, Book 9, preface)
One Latin line. Every Monday.
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