n.
Pronunciation: ' mag-n ə t
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English magnete, from Anglo-French, from Latin magnet-, magnes, from Greek magn ē s ( lithos ), literally, stone of Magnesia, ancient city in Asia Minor
Date: 15th century
1 a : LODESTONE b : a body having the property of attracting iron and producing a magnetic field external to itself specifically : a mass of iron, steel, or alloy that has this property artificially imparted
2 : something that attracts <a box-office magnet >