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electromagnetic

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Etymology and origin of the English word electromagnetic

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1820 translation of H. C. Oersted in the Annals of Philosophy
Ultimate origins
English electro-Ancient Greek μάγνηςLatin -icus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin magnes
Latin magneticus
English magnetic
English electromagnetic

Pronunciation

  • US: /ɪˌlɛk.tɹoʊ.mæɡˈnɛ.tɪk/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English electro- + magnetic,[2][3][4][5][6][7] probably after French électro-magnétique (1781).[2] In its first record, in 1820, it translates Danish electromagnetisk (1820).[2] The OED notes that the related term electromagnetism was only in isolated use in any language before the discoveries of the Danish scientist H. C. Ørsted in 1820.[2] The prefix goes back to Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron, “amber”).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Relating to the connection between electric currents or fields and magnetic fields: 1820, in a translation of H. C. Oersted in the Annals of Philosophy.[2][5] Barnhart and Etymonline date the word to 1821, in Faraday's writings.[4][3]

Semantic evolution

The adjective belongs to the physics of the early 1820s, which followed Ørsted's discovery of the link between electricity and magnetism in 1820.[2] From 1853, in W. Thomson, it was also used of a system of units based on the force between two magnetic poles,[2] a system now largely disused.[6] Later uses include electromagnetic radiation, consisting of electromagnetic waves such as light, radio waves and X-rays, and the electromagnetic spectrum, the whole range of their wavelengths.[6][8]

Timeline

  • 1781 – électro-magnétique in French.[2]
  • 1820 – relating to the interrelation of electric and magnetic fields.[2][5]
  • 1821 – in Faraday's writings.[4][3]
  • 1853 – of a unit in the electromagnetic system of units.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of, relating to or produced by electromagnetism, the interaction of electric currents or fields and magnetic fields.[5][8][2]
  2. Containing or worked by an electromagnet: an electromagnetic lock.[8]
  3. Of or relating to electromagnetic radiation: the electromagnetic spectrum.[8][6]
  4. Of a unit in a system based on the force between two magnetic poles or two wires carrying a current.[2][6]

Word family

  • electromagnetically
  • electromagnetic field
  • electromagnetic induction
  • electromagnetic pulse
  • electromagnetic radiation
  • electromagnetic spectrum
  • electromagnetic unit
  • electromagnetic wave
  • electromagnet
  • electromagnetism
  • electric
  • magnet

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  8. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Electromagnetic.” Etymologically, 26 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/electromagnetic. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·