a body that has the property of attracting iron and producing a magnetic field outside itself, esp a mass of iron, steel, etc that has this property artificially imparted
something that attracts
The island is a magnet for tax evaders
Middle English magnete via French from Latin magnet-, magnes, from Greek magnēs lithos stone of Magnesia. Magnesia, an ancient city in Asia Minor, was said to have large deposits of magnetic iron ore