Adjacent Words

aeon definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: (Gnosticism) a divine power or nature emanating from the Supreme Being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe [syn: eon, aeon]
2: the longest division of geological time [syn: eon, aeon]
3: an immeasurably long period of time; "oh, that happened eons ago" [syn: eon, aeon]

Merriam Webster's

or eon noun Etymology: Latin, from Greek ai?n — more at aye Date: 1647 1. an immeasurably or indefinitely long period of time ; age 2. a. (usually eon) a very large division of geologic time usually longer than an era b. a unit of geologic time equal to one billion years

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (also eon) 1 a very long or indefinite period. 2 an age of the universe. 3 Astron. a thousand million years. 4 an eternity. 5 Philos. (in Neoplatonism, Platonism, and Gnosticism) a power existing from eternity, an emanation or phase of the supreme deity. Etymology: eccl.L f. Gk aion age

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

AEon [AE]"on, n. A period of immeasurable duration; also, an emanation of the Deity. See Eon.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Eon E"on, AEon [AE]"on, n. [L. aeon, fr. Gr. a'iwn space or period of time, lifetime, age; akin to L. aevum. See Age.] 1. An immeasurable or infinite space of time; eternity; a long space of time; an age. The eons of geological time. --Huxley. 2. (Gnostic Philos.) One of the embodiments of the divine attributes of the Eternal Being. Among the higher [AE]ons are Mind, Reason, Power, Truth, and Life. --Am. Cyc. Note: Eons were considered to be emanations sent forth by God from the depths of His grand solitude to fulfill various functions in the material and spiritual universe.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(aeons) Note: in AM, use 'eon' An aeon is an extremely long period of time. Aeons ago, there were deserts where there is now fertile land. = age N-COUNT

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

e'-on: This word originally meant "duration," "dispensation." In the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle the word is aion, from which this word is transliterated. In the Gnostic philosophy it has a special meaning and is there used to solve the problem of the world order. In the infinite separation between God and the world, it was taught, there must of necessity be mediating powers. These powers are the eons and are the successive emanations from God from eternity. They are spiritual, existing as distinct entities. They constituted the Divine fullness or the Divine Pleroma. The name was applied to these beings for two reasons: because they were thought to partake of the eternal existence of God and because they were supposed to govern the various ages. The idea of the eons in various forms may be found in nearly all oriental philosophy that attempted to deal with the problem of the world order. It appears in the writings of Philo, in Shintoism, in the old Zoroastrian religion.

See GNOSTICISM.

Jacob W. Kapp

Moby Thesaurus

Platonic year, age, ages, annus magnus, blue moon, century, cycle, cycle of indiction, date, day, eternity, florid, generation, great year, indiction, long, long time, long while, month of Sundays, right smart spell, time, years, years on end