eta
/ˈeta/feminine
The Spanish word eta refers to the Greek letter eta.
Meaning: Greek letter (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the formal phrase hora prevista de llegada is often used to indicate an estimated time of arrival.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈeta/
Did you know?
- Because of the heavy political associations with the acronym ETA, some Spanish news presenters use the term letra griega eta to be explicitly clear they are discussing linguistics.
- In Spain, the word ETA is most commonly recognized not as a letter but as the acronym for the Basque separatist organization Euskadi Ta Askatasuna.
- Because of the Basque conflict, some Spanish news archives and textbooks from the late 20th century used the phrase la organización or el grupo instead of ETA to avoid giving the acronym too much prominence.
Examples in context
- Según el informe, la hora estimada de llegada del vuelo es a las 16:45.According to the report, the estimated time of arrival of the flight is at 16:45.
- La letra eta es la séptima del alfabeto griego.The letter eta is the seventh of the Greek alphabet.
- Escribe una eta en el cuaderno de matemáticas.Write an eta in the math notebook.
- No reconozco esa eta en el texto antiguo.I don't recognize that eta in the ancient text.
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are studying Greek symbols together.
- Lucía¿Sabes cómo se escribe la eta?Do you know how to write the eta?
- JavierSí, Lucía, se parece mucho a una n.Yes, Lucía, it looks a lot like an n.
- LucíaEs verdad, la eta es muy parecida.It's true, the eta is very similar.
- JavierSolo hay que tener cuidado al leerla.We just have to be careful when reading it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eta” translations and entries eta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
