magnetism
Definitions
The physical force by which magnets attract or repel iron and other materials.
磁性，磁力
The quality of being strongly and irresistibly attractive to others; personal charm.
(人的)魅力，吸引力
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedmagnet + -ism (a force, a quality) = the attracting power of the Magnesian stone, treated as a thing in itself. Physics took the literal force; everyday speech borrowed it for the invisible pull of a charming person — personal magnetism.
Root magnet still carries 7 more wordsWhy It Means This
Magnetism carries two meanings from one image. The physical sense is the force itself — the pull inside the Magnesian stone. The human sense — charm, charisma — is the same idea made figurative: a magnetic person draws others without effort, the way the stone draws iron. English never coined a separate word for the human pull; it just reused the physics.
Common Collocations
- 1.personal magnetism个人魅力
- 2.animal magnetism性魅力(动物般的魅力)
- 3.electricity and magnetism电与磁
- 4.Earth's magnetism地磁
- 5.raw magnetism原始的魅力
Example Sentences
- 1.
The experiment shows how electricity and magnetism are linked.
- 2.
His personal magnetism made the whole room listen.
- 3.
Earth's magnetism is what makes a compass point north.