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eon

Syllabification: (e·on)
Pronunciation: /ˈēən, ˈēˌän/
(chiefly British also aeon)
Definition of eon

noun

(often eons)
  • an indefinite and very long period of time, often a period exaggerated for humorous or rhetorical effect:he reached the crag eons before I arrived his eyes searched her face for what seemed like eons
  • Astronomy & Geology a unit of time equal to a billion years.
  • Geology a major division of geological time, subdivided into eras:the Precambrian eon
  • Philosophy (in Neoplatonism, Platonism, and Gnosticism) a power existing from eternity; an emanation or phase of the supreme deity.

Origin:

mid 17th century: via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek aiōn 'age'

eon in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of eon in the British & World English dictionary
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