Electromagnet
/ɪˌlɛk.trəʊˈmæɡ.nɪt/noun
A magnet produced by passing electric current through a coil of wire, usually around an iron core.
Did you know?The word combines electricity, whose name came from Greek amber, with magnet, named after Magnesia, a region associated with naturally magnetic stones.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ēlektron
“Amber, a resin that could attract light objects after being rubbed”
Ancient Greek
Greek
magnētis lithos
““Magnesian stone,” referring to a naturally magnetic stone or lodestone”
Latin
Latin
electrum
“Amber; later also an alloy of gold and silver”
12th–13th Century
Old French
magnete
“Magnet or lodestone, borrowed from Latin”
17th–18th Century
English
electric
“Relating to the effects produced by rubbed amber”
1820s
English
electro-magnet
“A magnet created by an electric current; the compound emerged soon after experiments linking electricity and magnetism”
Modern English
English
electromagnet
“A controllable magnet generated by electric current”