entry
magnet
/ˈmæɡnət/Object producing a field that attracts magnetic materials
From Greek magnet (Magnesian stone or lodestone).
from Latin magnetum (nominative magnes ) "lodestone,"
from Old French magnete "magnetite, magnet, lodestone," and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French magnete "magnetite, magnet, lodestone," and directly
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin magnetum (nominative magnes ) "lodestone,"
from Old French magnete "magnetite, magnet, lodestone," and directly
+1 more sourcefrom Old French magnete "magnetite, magnet, lodestone," and directly
+1 more sourceLong before anyone could explain invisible fields, people noticed that certain dark stones could tug at iron as if possessing a tiny, stubborn hand. Greek writers connected this “Magnesian stone” with Magnesia—a name that may point either to a region in Thessaly or to Magnesia near modern Manisa in Turkey, so even the birthplace has a small geographical mystery attached. Latin carried the word westward as magnēs, and medieval French and English turned it into magnete and then magnet. By the 1650s, the stone had acquired a human talent: a person or thing could be called a magnet if it irresistibly drew people, attention, or trouble. Europe also experimented with calamita, linked to Latin calamus, “reed”—the same reed family that eventually gives us shawm—because a compass needle was sometimes floated in a reed or piece of cork. A magnet, then, began as a place-name stamped onto a strange stone and ended as a metaphor for anything that makes the world lean toward it.
The Story
Long before anyone could explain invisible fields, people noticed that certain dark stones could tug at iron as if possessing a tiny, stubborn hand. Greek writers connected this “Magnesian stone” with Magnesia—a name that may point either to a region in Thessaly or to Magnesia near modern Manisa in Turkey, so even the birthplace has a small geographical mystery attached. Latin carried the word westward as magnēs, and medieval French and English turned it into magnete and then magnet. By the 1650s, the stone had acquired a human talent: a person or thing could be called a magnet if it irresistibly drew people, attention, or trouble. Europe also experimented with calamita, linked to Latin calamus, “reed”—the same reed family that eventually gives us shawm—because a compass needle was sometimes floated in a reed or piece of cork. A magnet, then, began as a place-name stamped onto a strange stone and ended as a metaphor for anything that makes the world lean toward it.
Modern Usage
A humorous exclamation or meme portraying magnets as inexplicable miracles
Popularized by: Insane Clown Posse and Shaggy 2 Dope
Notable References
- “Fuckin' Magnets—How Do They Work?”
Kin & Kindred
From 'magnet'·Magnesian stone or lodestone
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary