talisman
[tal-is-muh n, -iz-]
noun, plural tal·is·mans.
a stone, ring, or other object, engraved with figures or characters supposed to possess occult powers and worn as an amulet or charm.
any amulet or charm.
anything whose presence exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings or actions.
RELATED WORDS
bewitched, charismatic, clairvoyant, diabolic, eerie, enchanted, enchanting, entrancing, extraordinary, fascinating, fey, fiendish, ghostly, haunted, imaginary, magical, magnetic, marvelous, miraculous, mysterious
Nearby words
- talipes planus,
- talipes valgus,
- talipes varus,
- talipomanus,
- talipot,
- talk,
- talk about,
- talk around,
- talk at,
- talk back
Origin of talisman
1630–40; < French or Spanish ≪ Arabic ṭilasm < Greek télesma payment, equivalent to teles- (variant stem of teleîn to complete, perform) + -ma noun suffix of result
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for talismanic
talisman
noun plural -mans
Word Origin for talisman
C17: via French or Spanish from Arabic tilsam, from Medieval Greek telesma ritual, from Greek: consecration, from telein to perform a rite, complete, from telos end, result
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
talisman
1630s, from French talisman, in part via Arabic tilsam (plural tilsaman), a Greek loan-word; in part directly from Byzantine Greek telesma "talisman, religious rite, payment," earlier "consecration, ceremony," originally "completion," from telein "perform (religious rites), pay (tax), fulfill," from telos "completion, end, tax" (see tele-).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper