Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Magnet?

\Mag"net\, n. [OE. magnete, OF. magnete, L. magnes, -etis, Gr. ? ? a magnet, metal that looked like silver, prop., Magnesian stone, fr. Gr. ?, a country in Thessaly. Cf. {Magnesia}, {Manganese}.] 1. The loadstone; a species of iron ore (the ferrosoferric or magnetic ore, {Fe3O4}) which has the property of attracting iron and some of its ores, and, when freely suspended, of pointing to the poles; -- called also {natural magnet}. Dinocrates began to make the arched roof of the temple of Arsino["e] all of magnet, or this loadstone. --Holland. Two magnets, heaven and earth, allure to bliss, The larger loadstone that, the nearer this. --Dryden. 2. (Physics) A bar or mass of steel or iron to which the peculiar properties of the loadstone have been imparted; -- called, in distinction from the loadstone, an {artificial magnet}. Note: An artificial magnet, produced by the action of a voltaic or electrical battery, is called an {electro-magnet}. {Field magnet} (Physics & Elec.), a magnet used for producing and maintaining a magnetic field; -- used especially of the stationary or exciting magnet of a dynamo or electromotor in distinction from that of the moving portion or armature.