Etymologically
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magnetic

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:19. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /mæɡˈnɛtɪk/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin magneticus, from Latin magnes (“magnet, lodestone”) (accusative magneta) (see magnet),[2][3][4] partly through French magnétique.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Having the properties of a magnet: the 1610s, in Donne, literal but poetic;[2] 1611 in MWU, 1634 in the OED.[3][5]

Semantic evolution

Having powers of attraction, figuratively, is from the 1630s (1632 in the OED), though Donne's conceit already had it in mind.[2][5] Capable of being attracted by a magnet, of iron, nickel and cobalt, is from 1837.[2][5] Magnetics, the science of magnetism, is from 1786.[2] Magnetic tape and disks for recording data are 20th-century uses.[6][7]

Timeline

  • 1611 – of a magnet.[3]
  • 1632 – very attractive.[5]
  • 1786 – magnetics.[2]
  • 1837 – attracted by a magnet.[2][5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Having the properties of a magnet; relating to magnetism.
  2. Capable of being magnetized or attracted by a magnet.
  3. Very attractive or alluring: a magnetic personality.
  4. Relating to the earth's magnetism: magnetic north.

Word family

  • magnetically
  • aeromagnetic
  • antiferromagnetic
  • antimagnetic
  • diamagnetic
  • electromagnetic
  • ferrimagnetic
  • ferromagnetic

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins