What does "solenoid" mean?

A coil of wire that acts as a magnet when an electric current flows through it.

What is a synonym for "solenoid"?

Common synonyms include: electromagnet, lodestar, lodestone, magnet, polestar.

//ˈsɒlɪnɔɪd// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
A coil of wire that acts as a magnet when an electric current flows through it.
2
a coil of wire around an iron core; becomes a magnet when current passes through the coil wordnet
3
A coil of wire that acts as a magnet when an electric current flows through it.; An electromechanical device consisting of such a coil containing a metal core, the movement of which is controlled by the current.
4
An electromechanical switch controlled by a solenoid; solenoid switch, relay.
5
The region of intersection between isobaric and isopycnal surfaces.

"Noise is produced by the sudden flow of current into a solenoid."

From French solénoïde, from Ancient Greek σωληνοειδής (sōlēnoeidḗs) (from σωλήν (sōlḗn, “channel, pipe”) + -ειδής (-eidḗs); see -oid).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.