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Eternity vs Eon - What's the difference?

eternity | eon |

As nouns the difference between eternity and eon

is that eternity is existence without end, infinite time while eon is eternity.

As an initialism EON is

ΕΟΝ, the Greek National Organisation of Youth similar to the Hitler Youth, it was formed before WWII and disbanded in 1941.

eternity

English

Alternative forms

* (archaic) * (obsolete)

Noun

  • (uncountable) Existence without end, infinite time.
  • * 1829', , ''Sermon LVIII: On the '''Eternity of God'', in ''Sermons on Several Occasions , Volume 2, 10th edition, page 1,
    • Eternity' has generally been considered as divisible into two parts; which have been termed, '''eternity''' ''a parte ante'', and '''eternity''' ''a parte post'': that is, in plain English, that '''eternity''' which is past, and that ' eternity which is to come.
  • * 1886 , , Systematic Theology: a Compendium and Commonplace-book Designed for the Use of Theological Students , page 190,
    • This theory regards creation as an act of God in eternity past.
  • * 2000 , , Human Nature in It's Fourfold State , page 247,
    • Those who like not the company of the saints on earth will get none of it in eternity'; but, as godless company is their delight now, they will afterwards get enough of it, when they have ' eternity to pass in the roaring and blaspheming society of devils and reprobates in hell.
  • (uncountable, philosophy) Existence outside of time.
  • * 1879 , (editor) ''Journal of Discourses , Volume 21,
    • We sometimes speak of eternity' in contradistinction to time; and often say, "through time and into '''eternity''';" and again "from '''eternity''' to '''eternity'''," which is simply another form of expressing the same idea, and "pass through time into '''eternity'''." in other words, time is a short period allotted to man in his probationary state—and we use the word time in contradistinction to the word ' eternity , merely for the accommodation of man in his finite sphere, that we may comprehend and learn to measure periods.
  • (countable) A period of time which extends infinitely far into the future.
  • (metaphysical) The remainder of time that elapses after death.
  • (informal, hyperbole) A comparatively long time.
    • It's been an eternity since we last saw each other.

    Usage notes

    * In the sense "a comparatively long time", eternity is always used with the indefinite article (an eternity ). * In philosophy, the common use of eternity' to refer to an infinite time is considered incorrect, ' eternity referring to existence outside of time; existence within time but of an infinite temporal duration is called everlastingness or sempiternity

    Synonyms

    * (existence outside of time) extratemporal * (infinite time) all time * (time extending infinitely far into the future) evermore, forever * (remainder of time that elapses after death) afterlife * (comparatively long time) an age, ages, centuries, donkey's years, hours, a lifetime, years, yonks

    Antonyms

    * (existence outside of time) sempiternity

    Derived terms

    * eternity past * eternity future

    Related terms

    * eternal * eternize

    Anagrams

    * entirety

    eon

    English

    Alternative forms

    * aeon (chiefly British or Gnostic) * (qualifier)

    Noun

    (wikipedia eon) (en noun)
  • (US) Eternity.
  • A period of 1,000,000,000 years.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2012-01
    • , author=Robert L. Dorit , title=Rereading Darwin , volume=100, issue=1, page=23 , magazine= citation , passage=We live our lives in three dimensions for our threescore and ten allotted years. Yet every branch of contemporary science, from statistics to cosmology, alludes to processes that operate on scales outside of human experience: the millisecond and the nanometer, the eon and the light-year.}}
  • (geology) The longest time period used in geology.
  • (US, informal, hyperbole) A long period of time.
    • It's been eons since we last saw each other.
  • A spirit being emanating from the Godhead.

    • Derived terms

    * Archean eon * eonian *

    Anagrams

    * * ----