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Lodestone is made up of distinctly English components, ones that have been part of our language since before the 12th century. Lode comes from the Old English lād, which means "way, journey, course." The word stone derives from the Old English stān, which had the same meaning as the modern term stone. When the two ancient words were combined to form lodestone in the early 16th century, the new term referred to magnetite, a magnetic iron ore. Just as a new business district might be a magnet for entrepreneurs, or a poor soul a magnet for bad luck, lodestone sees similar figurative use describing things with a seeming power to attract.

Examples of lodestone in a Sentence

the young woman's wealth unfortunately made her a lodestone for fortune hunters

Recent Examples on the Web The key deadline is just over a week away and the more lodestone motors could have to pay $200 million back that Fox con sent as a down payment. — Laura Johnston, cleveland, 10 May 2022 But in the mid-1980s, a band of booksellers moved into the empty barns and transformed the place into a literary lodestone. — Washington Post, 26 Dec. 2021 When standing on principle and pursuing equal rights seemed fraught with peril, Jean’s work served as a lodestone for me. — Maryanne George, Detroit Free Press, 12 Oct. 2021 As a wellness and health-conscious lodestone of the United States, California houses several cities that champion the clean living trend. — Tanya Akim, Forbes, 17 June 2021 The title, Day’s End, is taken from Matta-Clark’s lodestone 1975 urban installation in Pier 52. — Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 10 June 2021 The lodestone recruit credited with building Alabama’s football dynasty under Nick Saban, Jones is a first ballot Hall of Famer but deserves to be treated as something more. — Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 21 May 2021 Both, however, enjoyed blockbuster solo success, releasing seminal GOAT albums (King's singer-songwriter lodestone Tapestry; Turner's resilient comeback classic Private Dancer) and see their impact continue to grow with each passing decade. — Joe Lynch, Billboard, 10 Feb. 2021 Early iron compass needles were magnetized by lodestone, or magnetized magnetite minerals, pulled from the Earth. — Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 7 Dec. 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lodestone.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.