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Etymology and origin of the Romanian word magnetic

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1833 Curierul românesc More words from the 19th century
Borrowed from
French magnétique
Ultimate origin
Latin magnēs
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin magnēs
Latin magnēticus
English magnetic
French magnétique
Romanian magnetic
The word's journey
From the same root
English electromagnetic ← magnetic

Forms

magnetic m or n (feminine singular magnetică, masculine plural magnetici, feminine/neuter plural magnetice)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French magnétique, with German magnetisch as a second source.[2][3][4][5] DN also names Latin magnēticus, which Scriban gives as the only source, and Wiktionary names only the French word.[6][7][1] By surface analysis it is magnet with the suffix -ic.[1] The French word, recorded from 1617, is a borrowing of the same word in Late Latin, from magnēs (“lodestone, magnet”), which the Latins adapted from Greek.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

MDA2 and the DLR date the first record to 1833, in the Curierul românesc: „S-a aflat și cea adevărată poziție a polului magnetic” “the true position of the magnetic pole has also been found”.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word came in with the physics of the 19th century: Stamati wrote that Volta's pile can produce magnetic phenomena, and Negulici's dictionary of 1848 lists it with Latin magneticus.[4][9] An older native derivative, magneticesc, is obsolete.[4][3] The word also came to refer to “animal magnetism”: Kogălniceanu wrote of a gaze with “the magnetic power of the snake”.[4][7] From this sense came the figurative one of an irresistible attraction.[4][2] Fluid magnetic was the mysterious force by which occultists explained telepathy and hypnosis.[2][4]

Timeline

  • 1833 – first record, polul magnetic in the Curierul românesc.[3][4]
  • 1848 – listed in Negulici's dictionary of neologisms.[9]
  • 1870 – in Costinescu's dictionary, with French magnétique.[10]
  • 1886 – in Barcianu's Romanian–German dictionary, with German magnetisch.[11]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of forces or phenomena: relating to the magnet or to magnetism; of bodies: able to be magnetized, ferromagnetic.[2][3][1]
  2. Câmp magnetic: a magnetic field, the state of a region of space in which magnetic forces act; the region itself.[2][3]
  3. Pol magnetic: either end of a magnet; either of the two points of the Earth towards which a compass needle points.[2][3]
  4. Fluid magnetic: in the occult sciences, a force supposed to explain telepathy and hypnosis.[2][3]
  5. Relating to animal magnetism.[3][4]
  6. (figurative) Exerting a deep influence or an irresistible attraction: o privire magnetică.[2][3]
  • magnet
  • magnetism
  • magnetiza

Usage notes

Ac magnetic is a magnetized needle, such as the needle of a compass.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 610
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 1417
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Academia Română (1965–2010), Dicționarul limbii române (DLR), serie nouă, tom I–XIX, București: Editura Academiei Române, p. s.v. magnetic
  5. ^ Marcu, Florin (2000), Marele dicționar de neologisme, București: Saeculum Vizual, p. s.v. magnetic
  6. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. magnetic
  7. ^ a b Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 766
  8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Negulici, I. D. (1848), Vocabular romînesc de toate vorbele streine întroduse pînă acum în limba romînească și de toate cuvintele ce s-ar mai putea introduce încă, București, p. s.v. magnetic
  10. ^ Costinescu, Ion (1870), Vocabularu romano-francesu, 2 vols., Bucuresci, p. 2, 57
  11. ^ Barcianu, Sava Popovici (1886), Dicționar român-germân și germân-român, revised by D. P. Barcianu, part I: român-germân, Sibiu: Institut tipografic, p. 363
  12. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 3, 4

Related etymologies

  • cap · also from French
  • dura · also from French
  • pur · also from French
  • pană · also from French
  • pat · also from French
  • masă · also from French
  • lac · also from French
  • primar · also from French
Cite this entry

“Magnetic.” Etymologically, 12 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/ro/magnetic. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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