Talk:magnet

Could it, instead, come from PIE/Sankrit?

महालोह mahāloha n. great iron

महालोह mahāloha n. magnetic iron

(PIE) *m̥ǵh₂nós = great

(SANSKIT) maha = great

(GREEK) mégas = great

(LATIN) magnus = great

From Proto-Italic *magnos, from Proto-Indo-European *m̥ǵh₂nós, from *meǵh₂- ‎(“great”). Confer with mactus. Cognates include Ancient Greek μέγας ‎(mégas, “big, large”), Sanskrit मह ‎(mahá, “great, mighty, strong, abundant”), Middle Persian ms ‎(meh, “great”) (< *mas), (Persian مه ‎(mih)), Avestan (maz-, “large”), Tocharian B māka ‎(“large”), Hittite ‎(mēkkis, “much, many, numerous”), Old Armenian մեծ ‎(mec), Old Irish maige ‎(“great, large”), Albanian madh ‎(“large”) and Old English micel (English much).

Personally, I think that the etymology from the name of the city Magnesia is a folk-etymology.