The property of mutual attraction or repulsion possessed by magnets.
- animal m. a psychic force akin to the property of mutual attraction or repulsion possessed by metal magnets and once believed to be the principal factor in hypnosis, which thus was called animal m.. See hypnosis, mesmerism.
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mag·ne·tism 'mag-nə-.tiz-əm n a class of physical phenomena that include the attraction for iron observed in lodestone and a magnet, are inseparably associated with moving electricity, are exhibited by both magnets and electric currents, and are characterized by fields of force
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mag·ne·tism (magґnə-tiz-əm) magnetic attraction or repulsion.Medical dictionary. 2011.