lodestone

or load·stone

[ lohd-stohn ]

noun
  1. a variety of magnetite that possesses magnetic polarity and attracts iron.

  2. a piece of this serving as a magnet.

  1. something that attracts strongly.

Origin of lodestone

1
1505–15; lode (in obsolete sense “way, course”) + stone

Words Nearby lodestone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lodestone in a sentence

  • A Greek legend tells us that the lodestone was discovered by Magnes, a shepherd who found his crook attracted by the rock.

  • One of their experiments was to float a needle on a piece of cork, and make it follow a lodestone held in the hand.

  • For three years he draws me to his parties as a lodestone draws baser metals.

    The Five Arrows | Allan Chase
  • She used no wiles, practised no arts—her subtle mesmerism was the unseen power of the lodestone.

    The Great Mogul | Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for lodestone

lodestone

loadstone

/ (ˈləʊdˌstəʊn) /


noun
    • a rock that consists of pure or nearly pure magnetite and thus is naturally magnetic

    • a piece of such rock, which can be used as a magnet and which was formerly used as a primitive compass

  1. a person or thing regarded as a focus of attraction

Origin of lodestone

1
C16: literally: guiding stone

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for lodestone

lodestone

  1. A piece of the mineral magnetite that acts like a magnet.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.