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Added 9 October 2026

magnet

/ˈmæɡ.nɪt/ noun

In Latin: magnes Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about magnet at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

(physics) a device that attracts iron and produces a magnetic field.
A characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts.
flowers are an attractor for bees

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). Related to manganese, magnesia and magnesium.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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