• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word magnet (lodestone) originate and What does magnet mean?

Where does the word magnet (lodestone) originate and What does magnet mean?

May 2, 2020 by Karen Hill

Homer and Plato knew about the magnet.

The ancients, that is to say, had discovered a peculiar stone native to the neighborhood of the town of Magnesia, in Thessaly, which had the power of attracting small pieces of iron.

They called it magnes, from the name of the town, or more frequently, lithos Magnetis, stone of Magnesia, whence our term magnet.

There is no certainty, however, that the Greeks put the peculiar properties of this stone to any use; in fact, the first European record of the use of the directive properties of the magnet is not found before the end of the twelfth century A.D.

This record, made by Alexander Neckam, foster brother of Richard I of England, makes it certain, however, that the mariner’s compass, which depends upon the magnet, had long been familiar to English navigators.

Perhaps in some mysterious way the knowledge had been brought from China, for the Chinese are thought to have made such use of the stone many centuries earlier.

Through the use of the compass this “stone of Magnesia” or magnes, as it was also called, came to be known as a lodestone because, like the lodestar, it pointed the way (from the Middle English word lode, way): Many curious beliefs were attached to the magnet or lodestone.

William Gilbert, who, in 1600, was the first to produce a scientific study of magnetism, related some of the “figments and falsehoods” which had once been taught.

People were told, he says, that “if a lodestone be anointed with garlic, or if a diamond be near, it does not attract iron”; “if pickled in the salt of a sucking fish, there is power to pick up gold which has fallen into the deepest wells”; there were “mountains of such stones and they draw to them and break ships that are nailed with iron”; the stone could be used as a “love potion” and also had “the power to reconcile husbands to their wives, and to recall brides to their husbands.”

Related Facts

  • Where does the word "Lodestar" come from and What does Lodestone mean?
  • How Does a Magnet Attract Metal?
  • What Makes a Magnet Attract Iron, But Not Aluminum or Copper?
  • What does the word mugwump mean and Where does the word "mugwump" originate?
  • What Does the Word "Restaurant" Mean In French and How Did the Word For Dining Room Originate?
  • What Does the Word "Gymnasium" Mean in Greek and How Did the Word "Stadium" Originate?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “marmalade” come from and What does marmalade mean?
Next Post: How did the mandrake get its name and Where does the word “mandrake” come from? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy