Meanings
nounmagneto (plural magnetos)
plural magnetos
- A small magnetic dynamo, especially one that provides power to the spark plugs of a small internal combustion engine (now mostly used in aircraft).First known use 19th c.
Black tracks on the magneto, a hairline crack in the flywheel casing, pitted points or a spitless exhaust — all are clues to potential conkouts
1965, Popular Mechanics, volume 123, number 3, page 140
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna small dynamo with a secondary winding that produces a high voltage enabling a spark to jump between the poles of a spark plug in a gasoline engine
Similar
magnetoelectric machine
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Finnish magneetto
- magneettoTranslations
French magnéto
- magnétoTranslations
Polish iskrownik
- iskrownikTranslations
Spanish magneto
- magnetoTranslations
Tagalog balnitab
- balnitabTranslations
Turkish manyeto
- manyetoTranslations
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with magneto
mosquitovetoQuitoBenitoburritoSausalitoincognitoketobonitoneatoagritochaeto-enchiritofeto-keto-pizzaritoquesaritotaquito
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
magneto. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magneto
MLA
“magneto.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magneto. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “magneto,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/magneto.
Source: magneto on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.