Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

magneto

magneto (mag*nē"to) , noun

A small electric generator with an armature rotating in a magnetic field, having a secondary winding that generates a high voltage, such as one used to generate a voltage sufficient to cause a spark to jump between the poles of a spark plug in an internal-combustion engine.

Magneto- , prefix

[See Magnet.]

A prefix meaning pertaining to, produced by, or in some way connected with, magnetism.