magnetization
|mag-net-i-za-tion|
🇺🇸
/ˌmæɡnətaɪˈzeɪʃən/
🇬🇧
/ˌmæɡnɪtəˈzeɪʃən/
making magnetic / amount of magnetism
Etymology
'magnetization' is formed in English from the verb 'magnetize' + the noun-forming suffix '-ation'. 'Magnetize' in turn comes from 'magnet' + the verb-forming suffix '-ize'. 'Magnet' ultimately derives from Greek 'magnētís' (μαγνήτης), referring to a lodestone.
'magnet' originates from Greek 'magnētís' via Latin 'magnes' and Late Latin/French forms; it entered Middle English as 'magnet'. From that base English formed the verb 'magnetize' (influenced by French/Latin suffixes) and later the noun 'magnetization' using the productive English suffix '-ation'.
Initially related to the natural lodestone and its attractive properties ('stone from Magnesia'), the term evolved to refer both to the process of imparting magnetism to materials and, in physics, to the quantitative description (magnetic moment per unit volume) now called 'magnetization'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or action of making a material or object magnetic (the act of magnetizing).
The magnetization of the steel bar occurred after it was exposed to the strong magnetic field.
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Noun 2
in physics, the vector quantity representing the magnetic moment per unit volume of a material (often symbolized as M).
The magnetization M of the sample was measured to determine its magnetic susceptibility.
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Last updated: 2025/09/09 02:10