lodestone

lodestone — noun

1. a dark rock found in nature that is naturally magnetic and can pull objects made

1.nounC1
Definition

a dark rock found in nature that is naturally magnetic and can pull objects made of iron or steel toward it, used in the past for early compasses

Example

The museum displayed a large lodestone that had been used by ancient sailors to find their way at sea.

history: used in early compasses and navigation

Allison tested a piece of lodestone against her metal tools to see which ones it would pull.

collocation: piece of lodestone

Common collocations
  • natural lodestone
  • piece of lodestone
  • lodestone compass
  • lodestone deposit
  • lodestone mine
Synonyms
  • magnetite

    the scientific mineral name for the same iron-oxide mineral; lodestone is the common term for naturally magnetic magnetite

  • magnet

    broader term that includes both natural lodestone and man-made magnets

  • loadstone

    a variant spelling of lodestone, less common

Grammar Patterns

piece of lodestone

lodestone + verb

Usage Note

Lodestone can be used as either a countable noun (a lodestone, two lodestones) or an uncountable noun (pieces of lodestone). The uncountable form is more common when referring to the material in general rather than a specific specimen.

Common Mistakes

All heavy black rocks are lodestone.
Only rocks that naturally attract iron are lodestone.
Lodestone is defined by its magnetic property, not its colour or weight.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Lodestone is the everyday name for a naturally magnetic piece of the mineral magnetite. Magnetite is the scientific term for the iron-oxide mineral Fe₃O₄, which is common in many rocks — but only a small amount of magnetite occurs as lodestone with natural polarity. A magnet is a much broader category: it includes lodestone as well as man-made magnets made from steel, ceramic, or rare-earth metals. Loadstone is a less common spelling variant of lodestone. In practical use, say 'lodestone' when talking about historical compasses or natural magnetism; say 'magnet' for anything that sticks to your fridge.

lodestone ↗magnetitemagnet ↗loadstone

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • piece of lodestone
  • lodestone deposit

Prepositions

Etymology

Middle EnglishOld EnglishEnglish

The word lodestone comes from the Middle English lode, meaning 'way' or 'course', combined with stone. The rock was called a 'way-stone' because early sailors used it in compasses to find their direction. The same root appears in lodestar (the North Star, which guided travellers) and in the modern word load (though load as 'burden' has a different origin).