ʒə, -ʃə noun
a white, tasteless substance, magnesium oxide, MgO, used in medicine as an antacid and laxative.
Compare milk of magnesia.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English: philosophers' stone < Medieval Latin magnēsia < Greek (hē) Magnēsía (líthos) (the stone) of Magnesia; sense development obscure
1350–1400; Middle English: philosophers' stone < Medieval Latin magnēsia < Greek (hē) Magnēsía (líthos) (the stone) of Magnesia; sense development obscure
Related forms
mag·ne·sian, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To magnesia
00:10
Magnesia
is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
magnesia (mæɡˈniːʃə) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| another name for magnesium oxide | |
| [C14: via Medieval Latin from Greek Magnēsia, of Magnēs ancient mineral-rich region] | |
| mag'nesian | |
| —adj | |
| magnesic | |
| —adj | |
| mag'nesial | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
magnesia
late 14c., in alchemy, "main ingredient of the philosopher's stone," from M.L. magnesia, from Gk. (he) Magnesia (lithos) "the lodestone," lit. "(the) Magnesian (stone)," from Magnesia, region in Thessaly. Perhaps manganese is meant. Connection with magnet is obscure. Main modern sense of "magnesium oxide"
(1755) is perhaps an independent formation from L. magnes carneus "flesh-magnet" (c.1550), so called because it adheres strongly to the lips.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
magnesia mag·ne·sia (māg-nē'zhə, -shə)
n.
magnesium oxide.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
magnesia  (māg-nē'zhə) Pronunciation Key
A white powder with a very high melting point. It is used to make heat-resistant materials, electrical insulators, cements, fertilizer, and plastics. It is also used in medicine as an antacid and laxative. Chemical formula: MgO. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
