Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Electro-magnet
E-lecˊtro-mag′net
,Noun.
A mass, usually of soft iron, but sometimes of some other magnetic metal, as nickel or cobalt, rendered temporarily magnetic by being placed within a coil of wire through which a current of electricity is passing. The metal is generally in the form of a bar, either straight, or bent into the shape of a horseshoe.