Main Entry:

mag·net

Pronunciation:

\ˈmag-nət\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English magnete, from Anglo-French, from Latin magnet-, magnes, from Greek magnēs (lithos), literally, stone of Magnesia, ancient city in Asia Minor

Date:

15th century

1 a: lodestone b: a body having the property of attracting iron and producing a magnetic field external to itself ; specifically : a mass of iron, steel, or alloy that has this property artificially imparted2: something that attracts <a box-office magnet>