The story
- Old Frenchmagnete
- Ancient GreekΜάγνης (Mágnēs)
- Ancient Greekμᾰ́γνης (mắgnēs)
- Latinmagnēs
- Middle Englishmagnete
- English todaymagnet
From Middle English magnete, via Old French magnete, Latin magnēs, magnētem (“lodestone”), from Ancient Greek μαγνῆτις [λίθος] (magnêtis [líthos], “Magnesian [stone]”), either after the Lydian city Magnesia ad Sipylum (modern-day Manisa, Turkey), or after the Greek region of Μαγνησία (Magnēsía) (whence came the colonists who founded the city in Lydia). Related to manganese, magnesia and magnesium.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.