imán

magnet; imam

noun ee-MAHN Rare

Origin: The magnet sense comes via Old French aimant from Latin adamas (lodestone); the imam sense is an unrelated borrowing from Arabic imām (leader).

Usage Note

Imán carries two unrelated meanings that happen to coincide: a physical or figurative magnet (un imán para los turistas) and an Islamic prayer leader. Context always resolves the ambiguity. The plural is imanes, which drops the written accent.

Examples

"Este lugar es un imán para los visitantes."

Natural Translation

This place is a magnet for visitors.

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