| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
paramagnetism (ˌpærəˈmæɡnɪˌtɪzəm) ![]() | |
| —n | |
| physics diamagnetism Compare ferromagnetism the phenomenon exhibited by substances that have a relative permeability slightly greater than unity and a positive susceptibility. The effect is due to the alignment of unpaired spins of electrons in atoms of the material | |
| paramagnetic | |
| —adj | |
| paramagnetism (pār'ə-māg'nĭ-tĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
The property of being weakly attracted to either pole of a magnet. Paramagnetic materials, such as aluminum and platinum, become slightly magnetized when exposed to a magnetic field, but they lose their magnetism when the field is removed. When these materials are magnetized by a nearby magnet, the orientation of their north and sole poles results in their being attracted to the closest pole of the magnet. Compare diamagnetism, ferromagnetism. |