Dictionary.com

lodestone

or load·stone

[ lohd-stohn ]
/ ˈloʊdˌstoʊn /

noun

a variety of magnetite that possesses magnetic polarity and attracts iron.
a piece of this serving as a magnet.
something that attracts strongly.

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Origin of lodestone

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

Words nearby lodestone

locutory, Lod, lode, loden, lodestar, lodestone, lodge, lodged, Lodgepole Creek, lodgepole pine, lodger
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for lodestone

British Dictionary definitions for lodestone

lodestone

loadstone

/ (ˈləʊdˌstəʊn) /

noun

  1. a rock that consists of pure or nearly pure magnetite and thus is naturally magnetic
  2. a piece of such rock, which can be used as a magnet and which was formerly used as a primitive compass
a person or thing regarded as a focus of attraction

Word Origin for lodestone

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

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.