Paramagnet

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A substance or material that is weakly attracted by an externally applied magnetic field and forms internal, induced magnetic fields in the direction of the applied magnetic field; characterized by unpaired electrons causing a positive response to magnetism; typically showing magnetization only when an external field is present
2. A material that exhibits weak magnetic attraction only in the presence of an external magnetic field due to the alignment of unpaired electron spins; this induced magnetism disappears when the field is removed; often contrasted with ferromagnetic substances
3. A type of material that becomes magnetized temporarily when exposed to an external magnetic field because of the orientation of its unpaired electrons; it does not retain magnetic properties without the influencing field; known for its positive magnetic susceptibility

Etymology: Paramagnet is a compound built from two Greek-derived parts: "para-", from the Greek preposition "pará" meaning "beside" or "alongside", and "magnet", which traces back through Latin "magnēs" to the Greek "Mágnēs", a name linked to Magnesia, a region in Thessaly where lodestone was found. The prefix carries the idea of something lying next to or near a thing, and in this word it signals a material that sits close to the magnetic behaviour of ordinary magnets without being one. The sense is precise. A paramagnetic material is pulled weakly toward a magnet and only while the external field is present; once the field is removed, its magnetism vanishes. This happens because the material has unpaired electrons, each acting as a tiny magnet, which align briefly with an applied field. Iron, by contrast, keeps its magnetism after the field is gone, which is why the two behaviours are kept apart in physics.

Synonyms: paramagnetic material

Antonyms: diamagnet, diamagnetic material