Sentence:  In the late 1700 's Beccaria and van Marum , among others , had magnetized <WSD>iron</WSD> by sending an electrostatic charge through it . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood