Where is the word magnetism from?

Answer 1

Magnet comes from the Greek expression, Magnes lithos "the Magnesian stone," from Magnesia, a region in Thessaly, in Greece, where magnetized ore was obtained.
In ancient Greece, a shepherd boy by the name of Magnes, was looking after his sheep on a mountain. He happened to place his staff on a large stone and found that the staff clung strongly to the stone. From Magnes' name, we get the name "magnet" because of the magnetic stone sticking on to his staff.

Answer 2

The word "magnetism" is derived from the ancient Greek city of Magnesia, where a naturally occurring magnetic stone called magnetite was found. The early Greeks named the stone "magnes lithos" after the city, which eventually led to the term "magnetism" to describe the property of attracting iron.