electromagnet

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noun

A magnet which attracts metals only when electrically activated.

OriginEnglish magnet ← Middle English magnete ← Latin magnēs →
UncommonScrabble 18
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Meanings

nounelectromagnet (plural electromagnets)

plural electromagnets · alternative electro-magnet

  1. A magnet which attracts metals only when electrically activated.

    Hold the electromagnet near something made of iron and push the switch (S2). […] Large electromagnets are used to move things around at factories and junkyards.

    2010, “Electromagnetism”, in Snap Circuits, Elenco, page 1

Origin

  1. Frenchélectro-
  2. Ancient Greekἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron)
  3. Latinēlectrum
  4. Latinelectro-
  5. Englishelectro-
  6. Old Frenchmagnete
  7. Ancient GreekΜάγνης (Mágnēs)
  8. Ancient Greekμᾰ́γνης (mắgnēs)
  9. Latinmagnēs
  10. Middle Englishmagnete
  11. Englishmagnet
  12. Englishelectromagnet

From electro- + magnet.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 電磁體 /电磁体, 電磁鐵 /电磁铁
  • 電磁體 /电磁体magnet
  • 電磁鐵 /电磁铁 (diàncítiě)magnet
Czech elektromagnet
  • elektromagnetmagnet
Danish elektromagnet
  • elektromagnetmagnet
Dutch elektromagneet
  • elektromagneetmagnet
Esperanto elektromagneto
  • elektromagnetomagnet
Finnish sähkömagneetti
  • sähkömagneettimagnet
French électro-aimant
  • électro-aimantmagnet
German Elektromagnet
  • Elektromagnetmagnet
Greek ηλεκτρομαγνήτης
  • ηλεκτρομαγνήτης (ilektromagnítis)magnet
Hindi वैद्युतचुंबक, विद्युत् चुंबक
  • वैद्युतचुंबक (vaidyutcumbak)magnet
  • विद्युत् चुंबक (vidyut cumbak)magnet
Icelandic rafsegull
  • rafsegullmagnet
Irish leictreamaighnéad
  • leictreamaighnéadmagnet
Italian elettromagnete, elettrocalamita
  • elettromagnetemagnet
  • elettrocalamitamagnet
Japanese 電磁石
  • 電磁石magnet
Korean 전자석
  • 전자석 (jeonjaseok)magnet
Māori autōhiko
  • autōhikomagnet
Norwegian Bokmål elektromagnet
  • elektromagnetmagnet
Polish elektromagnes
  • elektromagnesmagnet
Portuguese eletroímã, eletroíman
  • eletroímãmagnet
  • eletroímanmagnet
Russian электромагни́т
  • электромагни́т (elektromagnít)magnet
Spanish electroimán
  • electroimánmagnet
Swahili sumakuumeme
  • sumakuumememagnet
Swedish elektromagnet
  • elektromagnetmagnet
Tagalog balaning-dagitab, elektroiman
  • balaning-dagitabmagnet
  • elektroimanmagnet
  • elektromagnetomagnet
Thai แม่เหล็กไฟฟ้า
  • แม่เหล็กไฟฟ้า (mɛ̂ɛ-lèk-fai-fáa)magnet
Urdu برقناطیس
  • برقناطیس (barqnatees)magnet
Vietnamese nam châm điện
  • nam châm điệnmagnet
Cite this entry
APA

electromagnet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electromagnet

MLA

“electromagnet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electromagnet. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “electromagnet,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/electromagnet.

Source: electromagnet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.