MAGNET

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does magnet mean? 

• MAGNET (noun)
  The noun MAGNET has 2 senses:

1. (physics) a device that attracts iron and produces a magnetic field

2. a characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts

  Familiarity information: MAGNET used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MAGNET (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(physics) a device that attracts iron and produces a magnetic field

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("magnet" is a kind of...):

device (an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose)

Meronyms (parts of "magnet"):

core (a bar of magnetic material (as soft iron) that passes through a coil and serves to increase the inductance of the coil)

magnetic pole; pole (one of the two ends of a magnet where the magnetism seems to be concentrated)

Domain category:

natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "magnet"):

bar magnet (a magnet in the form of a bar with magnetic poles at each end)

electromagnet (a temporary magnet made by coiling wire around an iron core; when current flows in the coil the iron becomes a magnet)

field magnet (a magnet that provides a magnetic field in a dynamo or electric motor)

magnetic needle (a slender magnet suspended in a magnetic compass on a mounting with little friction; used to indicate the direction of the earth's magnetic pole)

paramagnet (magnet made of a substance whose magnetization is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field applied to it)

permanent magnet; static magnet (a magnet that retains its magnetism after being removed from a magnetic field)

solenoid (a coil of wire around an iron core; becomes a magnet when current passes through the coil)

Derivation:

magnetic (having the properties of a magnet; i.e. of attracting iron or steel)

magnetic (determined by earth's magnetic fields)

magnetic (capable of being magnetized)

magnetic (of or relating to or caused by magnetism)

magnetise; magnetize (make magnetic)

magnetize (attract strongly, as if with a magnet)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A characteristic that provides pleasure and attracts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

attracter; attraction; attractive feature; attractor; magnet

Context example:

flowers are an attractor for bees

Hypernyms ("magnet" is a kind of...):

characteristic; feature (a prominent attribute or aspect of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "magnet"):

attention (a general interest that leads people to want to know more)

tourist attraction (a characteristic that attracts tourists)

Derivation:

magnetic (possessing an extraordinary ability to attract)

 Context examples 

This aspect will pave the way for what I see next (the new moon on November 26) and offers you proof that you will be a virtual money magnet at month’s end.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The contrast solution that the team developed contains a short piece of protein, or peptide, tagged with a minuscule magnet.

(Tell-tale biomarker detects early breast cancer, NIH)

The answers will help researchers understand how these spinning magnets — the cores of dead stars — can be the source of such extreme radiation in our galaxy.

(Pulse of a Dead Star Powers Intense Gamma Rays, NASA)

A separation column that when placed in proximity to a magnet creates a high gradient magnetic field strong enough to retain cells labeled with antibodies complexed to magnetic particles.

(Immunomagnetic Column, NCI Thesaurus)

A technique that uses radiofrequency waves and a magnet to image the body.

(Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging, NCI Thesaurus)

When the position of the stone is oblique, the motion of the island is so too: for in this magnet, the forces always act in lines parallel to its direction.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a large magnet and radio waves to look at organs and structures inside your body.

(MRI Scans, NIH)

Alternative medicine may include special diets, megadose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, and magnet therapy.

(Alternative medicine, NCI Dictionary)

Complementary and alternative medicine may include dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, acupuncture, massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation.

(Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NCI Dictionary)

The fast radio burst signal also yielded information about the magnetic field in the halo, which is very weak—a billion times weaker than that of a refrigerator magnet.

(Enigmatic radio burst illuminates a galaxy’s tranquil ​halo, ESO)