magnet

[mag-nit] /ˈmæg nɪt/
noun
1.
a body, as a piece of iron or steel, that possesses the property of attracting certain substances, as iron.
2.
a lodestone.
3.
a thing or person that attracts:
The park was a magnet for pickpockets and muggers.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English magnete < Latin magnēta < Greek mágnēta, accusative of mágnēs, short for (hē) Mágnēs (líthos) (the stone) of Magnesia
Related forms
countermagnet, noun
Can be confused
magnate, magnet.

magnet-

1.
variant of magneto- before some vowels:
magneton.
Examples from the web for magnet
  • We all know how academia can be a powerful magnet attracting this group.
  • In one version, he even covers its head with a shawl, then places a huge magnet on the board.
  • If your flakes contain enough iron, the magnet will attract them.
  • Another way to create a fountain that acts as a bird magnet.
  • If the magnet is weak enough to release straight up then it could never allow any kind of power advantage.
  • In every era, one city is designated as a magnet of creativity and energy.
  • When you're looking for a needle in a haystack, best take a magnet.
  • Not only is it pleasurable for me but it is a magnet for wildlife.
  • The disgusting-looking blob of rubbery coal you see depicted here is, in fact, a malleable magnet.
  • The weaker magnet requires no cooling liquid, and can last as long as the station.
British Dictionary definitions for magnet

magnet

/ˈmæɡnɪt/
noun
1.
a body that can attract certain substances, such as iron or steel, as a result of a magnetic field; a piece of ferromagnetic substance See also electromagnet
2.
a person or thing that exerts a great attraction
Word Origin
C15: via Latin from Greek magnēs, shortened from ho Magnēs lithos the Magnesian stone. See magnesia
Word Origin and History for magnet
n.

mid-15c. (earlier magnes, late 14c.), from Old French magnete "magnetite, magnet, lodestone," and directly from Latin magnetum (nominative magnes) "lodestone," from Greek ho Magnes lithos "the Magnesian stone," from Magnesia, region in Thessaly where magnetized ore was obtained. Figurative use from 1650s. It has spread from Latin to most Western European languages (cf. German and Danish magnet, Dutch magneet, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese magnete), but it was superseded in French by aimant. Also cf. magnesia. Chick magnet attested from 1989.

magnet in Science
magnet
(māg'nĭt)
A material or object that produces a magnetic field. Lodestones are natural magnets, though many materials, especially metals, can be made into magnets by exposing them to a magnetic field. See also electromagnet, ferromagnetism, magnetic pole. See Note at magnetism.

magnet in Culture

magnet definition


An object that attracts iron and some other materials. Magnets are said to generate a magnetic field around themselves. Every magnet has two poles, called the north and south poles. Magnetic poles exert forces on each other in such a way that like poles repel and unlike poles attract each other. A compass is a small magnet that is affected by the magnetic field of the Earth in such a way that it points to a magnetic pole of the Earth. (See magnetic field and magnetism.)