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Glite Dictionary
diamagnet

diamagnet

9.9
A material that magnets push away
  • noun
  • /ˈdaɪəˌmæɡnɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : diamagneto
  • A diamagnet, such as bismuth, is repelled by external magnetic fields.

Examples

  • Scientists discovered that certain materials, called diamagnets, can levitate when exposed to a strong magnetic field.

  • A whole chapter is devoted to magnetic data storage, and many examples throughout the text illustrate applications of the different categories of magnetic materials, even diamagnets.

    Academic text (2003)

  • When placed in a magnetic field, the diamagnet rose above the ground due to repulsion.

How Magnetic

ferromagnet
  • Specialized
8.1
paramagnet
  • Specialized
9.9
diamagnet
  • Specialized
9.9
nonmagnetic
  • Specialized
5.1

Surface Forms

diamagnet singular
diamagnets plural

Morphology

diamagnet = magnet (semi-transparent) = dia + magnet + dia

The base 'magnet' is obvious, but the prefix 'dia-' is a technical combining form whose meaning ('opposite'/'through' in scientific contexts) is specialized and not fully obvious to average learners.

Etymology

The word diamagnet combines the part dia- (which means 'across' or 'opposite') and magnet. So a diamagnet is like an 'opposite magnet' — it is 'pushed away' by a magnetic field instead of being pulled toward it.