amulet
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of amulet
First recorded in 1595–1605; either from Middle French amulete or directly from Latin amulētum
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Explanation
If you rub your pendant while praying to your gods, it sounds like you have an amulet, a necklace or similar item attributed with magical powers. An amulet is something that wards off evil spells and all manner of bad luck. Often found in undeveloped societies — or Brady Bunch episodes — an amulet acts as a charm to protect its wearer from evil. Often worn close to the heart as a necklace, the word amulet can refer to any a piece of jewelry or other trinket that is kept close to the body and believed to keep evil and danger at bay.
Vocabulary lists containing amulet
Ancient Egypt - Introductory
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Ancient Egypt - Middle School and High School
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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s as though this object has become an enchanted amulet that has brought me simultaneously back into the past, her past, and forward into the future, my future.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025
Tom quickly learns that his granny is the guardian of the Phoenix, a powerful amulet which, in the right hands, maintains the good in the universe, but in the wrong hands will destroy humanity.
From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2024
Take his ancient Sumerian amulet part that, when paired with a sister piece lost in the 14th century spice trade, offers a key clue to the location of a bracelet giving its wearer unlimited power.
From Slate • Jan. 13, 2023
Musk on Monday tweeted a photo of his nightstand, which bore an odd array of items including two non-firing replica guns, a Buddhist amulet and … four open cans of caffeine-free Diet Coke.
From Washington Post • Nov. 28, 2022
He saw short cottony hair, dark skin, and an amulet hanging from a leather cord around her neck.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
