magneto

[ mag-nee-toh ]
/ mægˈni toʊ /

noun, plural mag·ne·tos. Electricity.

a small electric generator with an armature that rotates in a magnetic field provided by permanent magnets, as a generator supplying ignition current for certain types of internal combustion engines or a hand-operated generator for telephone signaling.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT
Also called magnetoelectric generator, magnetogenerator.

Origin of magneto

First recorded in 1880–85; short for magnetoelectric generator

Words nearby magneto

magnetite, magnetizable, magnetization, magnetize, magnetizing force, magneto, magneto-, magnetoacoustics, magnetocaloric effect, magnetochemistry, magnetoelasticity

Definition for magneto (2 of 2)

magneto-

a combining form representing magnetic or magnetism in compound words: magnetochemistry.
Also especially before a vowel, magnet-.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for magneto

British Dictionary definitions for magneto (1 of 2)

magneto
/ (mæɡˈniːtəʊ) /

noun plural -tos

a small electric generator in which the magnetic field is produced by a permanent magnet, esp one for providing the spark in an internal-combustion engine

Word Origin for magneto

C19: short for magnetoelectric generator

British Dictionary definitions for magneto (2 of 2)

magneto-

combining form

indicating magnetism or magnetic propertiesmagnetosphere
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