loadstone

loadstone — noun

1. a naturally magnetic black iron ore (magnetite) that attracts iron without needi

1.名詞C2
釋義

a naturally magnetic black iron ore (magnetite) that attracts iron without needing any external charge

例句

Early sailors used a piece of loadstone to find direction on the open sea.

used as a compass before modern navigation

Hiroshi showed his class a black loadstone that could lift small iron nails.

同義詞
  • magnetite

    the scientific mineral name for loadstone; loadstone is the historical common name for the same mineral when it acts as a magnet

  • lodestone

    the more common modern spelling of the same word; identical meaning

用法筆記

Loadstone (also spelled lodestone) is the naturally magnetic form of the mineral magnetite. Do not use it for manufactured magnets — those are simply called magnets or bar magnets.

常見錯誤

❌I bought a loadstone from the shop to hang on my fridge.
✅I bought a small magnet from the shop to hang on my fridge.
💡Loadstone refers specifically to naturally magnetic magnetite, not a store-bought manufactured magnet.

2. something that powerfully attracts or draws people or things toward it, as if by

2.名詞C2
釋義

something that powerfully attracts or draws people or things toward it, as if by magnetic force

例句

For young painters, the seaside town was a loadstone full of light and color.

figurative: a loadstone = a powerful attraction

Shira felt the old library was a loadstone that pulled her back every weekend.

同義詞
  • attraction

    the ordinary word for something that draws people; less vivid and literary than loadstone

  • magnet

    a common figurative word with the same meaning as loadstone; much more frequent in modern English

  • lure

    suggests something tempting, sometimes with a slightly negative or deceptive undertone

反義詞
  • deterrent

    something that discourages people from coming or acting

  • repellent

    something that pushes people away rather than drawing them in

用法筆記

This figurative sense belongs to formal or literary English. In everyday conversation, words like attraction, draw, or magnet are more natural.

常見錯誤

❌That new café is a real loadstone for students.
✅That new café is a real draw for students.
💡Loadstone is very rare in everyday speech; use attraction or draw instead.