od
Pronunciation: /äd
noun
• historical
a hypothetical power once thought to pervade nature and account for various phenomena, such as magnetism.
Origin
mid 19th century: arbitrary term coined in German by Baron von Reichenbach (1788–1869), German scientist.
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It may have been a response to living on the pine barrens that Baron Dr. Karl Ludwig Freiherr von Reichenbach chose the odd term od for his proposed hypothetical power. On the other hand, maybe he had just carried around too many magnets in his hat during his youth.
