Link Centre Dictionary

magnet

mag·net

UK/mæɡnɛʈ/ US/ˈmæɡ.nɪt/ fairly common informal

noun

1.

(physics) a device that attracts iron and produces a magnetic field

2.

a characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts

  • “flowers are an attractor for bees”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English magnete, via Old French magnete, Latin magnēs, magnētem (“lodestone”), from Ancient Greek μαγνῆτις [λίθος] (magnêtis [líthos], “Magnesian [stone]”), either after the Lydian city Magnesia ad Sipylum (modern-day Manisa, Turkey), or after the Greek region of Μαγνησία (Magnēsía) (whence came the colonists who founded the city in Lydia).

Phrases

  • cop magnet
  • corrector magnet
  • cow magnet
  • fanny magnet
  • field magnet
  • fist magnet
  • magnet fishing
  • magnet play

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.