amulet

[ am-yuh-lit ]

/ ˈæm yə lɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amulet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small object worn to ward off evil, harm, or illness or to bring good fortune; protecting charm.

RELATED WORDS

talisman, ornament, fetish

Nearby words

amtrak, amu, amu darya, amuck, amugis, amulet, amulius, amundsen, amundsen gulf, amundsen sea, amundsen, roald

Origin of amulet

1595–1605; (< Middle French amulete) < Latin amulētum

SYNONYMS FOR amulet

talisman.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR amulet ON THESAURUS.COM

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for amulet

This plate is often of silver or gold, and is looked upon as an amulet.
The Voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe, Volume I and Volume II|A.E. Nordenskieold
The Hajji said: 'And on mine also is a name engraved; but there is no name on the amulet.'
Actions and Reactions|Rudyard Kipling
If different groups adopt different kinds of amulet ornaments as money, such intragroup money may be token money.
Folkways|William Graham Sumner
It became an amulet to increase the fertility of women and to help them in childbirth.
The Evolution of the Dragon|G. Elliot Smith

Formerly it seems to have had a small silver cross inset and was in great demand locally as an amulet for cattle curing.
Lives of SS. Declan and Mochuda|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for amulet

amulet

/ (ˈæmjʊlɪt) /

noun

a trinket or piece of jewellery worn as a protection against evil; charm

Word Origin for amulet

C17: from Latin amulētum, of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for amulet

amulet

mid-15c., amalettys, from Latin amuletum (Pliny) "thing worn as a charm against spells, disease, etc.," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to amoliri "to avert, to carry away, remove." Not recorded again in English until c.1600; the 15c. use may be via French.