Magnetic

How to spell magnetic

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce magnetic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does magnetic mean?

1. adjectiveHaving the property of attracting iron and certain other metals, or relating to magnetism.
2. adjectiveHaving a powerful, attractive personality that draws people in.

Magnetic in a sentence

• The fridge door stays shut because of a magnetic strip along its edge.

• The new manager had a magnetic presence that put the whole team at ease.

• Engineers used a magnetic field to test the new motor.

• Audiences found the speaker utterly magnetic from the first minute.

Where does magnetic come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek phrase magnes lithos, meaning 'stone of Magnesia', a reference to a district in Asia Minor (now part of Turkey) where naturally magnetised lodestone was mined in antiquity. The Greeks noticed that this peculiar iron ore could attract other pieces of iron, so the place name effectively became the name of the mineral's power. Latin took up the word as magneticus, and English borrowed the adjective around the late 1500s and early 1600s as scientists began studying the behaviour of lodestones and compass needles. From the literal sense of attracting metal, English speakers soon extended it to describe a person whose charm seems to pull others in. The spelling keeps the unsurprising 'magnet' root visible, so the only thing to remember is the plain -ic ending rather than -ick.

How the word is built

• magnet (from Greek Magnesia, the region where lodestone was found)
• -ic (adjective suffix)