Hysteresis
The dependence of the state of a system on its history. For example, a magnet may have more than one possible magnetic moment in a given magnetic field, depending on how the field changed in the past.
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Origin
Scottish physicist Sir James Alfred Ewing coined the term in 1881 to describe the behavior of magnetic materials. He derived it from Ancient Greek ὑστέρησις (hustérēsis, "shortcoming" or "lagging behind"), from ὑστερέω (husteréō, "I am late, fall short"). The Greek etymology captures the essence of the phenomenon: a system's state lags behind the force causing it, retaining a "memory" of past influences. While the term appeared earlier in rhetoric, Ewing's application to physics established its scientific meaning.
Updated February 22, 2026