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magnetic needle

magnetic needle

4.0
A thin piece of metal with a magnet that points north in a compass
  • noun
  • /mæɡˈnɛtɪk ˈnidəl/
translation icon : aguja magnética
  • In the six books of his masterpiece, Gilbert covered the origins of the movement of magnets, the direction taken up by them, the earth's magnetic variation, the dip of magnetic needles, and the earth as a great lodestone.

Examples

  • So what I have here is I have just a magnetic needle that I've created and I'm going to hook up my apparatus.

  • We have a good record since 1880 and can use the magnetic needle to make Wolf's estimates and earlier references a reasonable proxy for solar activity.

    Blog text (29)
  • Also, in 1861, Wolf summarily doubled all values before 1800 that he had derived using Staudacher's drawings because that would bring the count into better agreement with the magnetic needle.

    Blog text (29)
  • The compass works by using a magnetic needle that aligns itself with the earth's magnetic field to show direction.

  • When camping in the woods, always check that the magnetic needle points north before heading out.

  • To accurately navigate, make sure the magnetic needle is steady and pointing towards the North Pole.

Synonyms

pointer
vsmagnetic needle
33 3.7

A thin needle that shows position or direction on a dial

is a thin, compass-mounted device that aligns with the earth's field to show direction

Surface Forms

Morphology

magnetic + needle

The meaning 'a thin magnetized pointer that indicates direction' is directly and compositionally derived from 'magnetic' (relating to magnetism) + 'needle' (a thin pointed object), so a learner who knows both words can infer it. This straightforward noun–noun modification is cross-linguistically common and follows normal English composition patterns, making it immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

Magnetic needle is a thin needle made magnetic so it can turn and line up with the Earth's invisible magnetic pull. Because it always points toward 'north', it shows a clear 'direction'.