lodestone
noun
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The word lodestone is sometimes confused, understandably, with the similar-sounding lodestar. Both combine lode, which comes from the Old English noun lād, meaning “course,” with another word with ancient Old English roots: stone (from stān) and star (from steorra), respectively. Both lodestone and lodestar also refer to things—both literal and figurative—with the power to inspire or compel movement. But while a lodestar is something that leads the way (e.g., a moral principle that guides a person through life), a lodestone draws things toward itself. Sometimes lodestone refers to an actual magnet; indeed, its original use in the early 16th century was as a synonym for magnetite. But it didn’t take long for lodestone to attract a metaphorical sense. Today a business district might be a lodestone for entrepreneurs, or a lottery-playing friend (with the promise of riches as their lodestar) a lodestone—they hope—for good luck.
Examples of lodestone in a Sentence
Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 2 Aug. 2023
Davies has basically just tapped into my intellectual lodestone here.
—David Karpf, WIRED, 27 July 2023
And hey, just spitballing here, but maybe the next big pile of money should actually go to, say, the millions of college students who played by the rules and are now shackled with a lodestone of debt rather than going to the same old band of rich narcissists who put us in this hole.
—Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 1 Apr. 2023
The community of about 2,500, two hours northeast of metro Kansas City, was the hometown and emotional lodestone of Walt Disney.
—John Bordsen, CNN, 5 Apr. 2023
Early iron compass needles were magnetized by lodestone or magnetite minerals pulled from Earth.
—Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 29 Mar. 2023
In fact, power proved to be his lodestone.
—New York Times, 26 Mar. 2022
Mussolini, in fact, even listed the pragmatist philosopher William James, a lodestone for Progressives, as a primary influence.
—Daniel Bessner, The New Republic, 6 Mar. 2023
This is, after all, the home of the blues, the birthplace of Elvis, a global distribution hub, a lodestone of American history.
—Noah Robertson, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lodestone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Lodestone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lodestone. Accessed 14 Jun. 2024.
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