imán
nounCEFR B2
What does “imán” mean in English?
1.a piece of metal that attracts iron and produces a magnetic field
2.a Muslim religious leader who leads prayers in a mosque
Example sentences
El imán del refrigerador se cayó al suelo y se rompió en dos pedazos.
The fridge magnet fell to the floor and broke into two pieces.
El imán pronunció un discurso sobre la importancia de la solidaridad durante el Ramadán.
The imam gave a speech about the importance of solidarity during Ramadan.
How to use it
El imán (noun, masculine) has two unrelated meanings that share only spelling: (1) a 'magnet' in physics — el imán atrae el hierro; and (2) an 'imam', a Muslim prayer leader — el imán dirigió la oración. Context makes the meaning obvious; they are never confused by native speakers.
Common mistake
Imán (magnet) and imán (imam) are homographs with completely unrelated meanings and etymologies — context always disambiguates, but a learner should not assume one sense excludes the other in a dictionary search.
Topics
Related B2 words
Reference
This entry’s teaching guidance follows Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes (Instituto Cervantes), B2 Nociones específicas: ciencia y tecno.