talisman

[ tal-is-muhn, -iz- ]
See synonyms for talisman on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural tal·is·mans.
  1. a stone, ring, or other object, engraved with figures or characters supposed to possess occult powers and worn as an amulet or charm.

  2. any amulet or charm.

  1. anything whose presence exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings or actions.

Origin of talisman

1
First recorded in 1630–40; from French talisman, Spanish talismán or other Romance language, from Arabic ṭilasm, from Late Greek télesmon “completion, performance, consecrated object,” from Greek télesma “payment, payment to be made, outlay, expense,” a derivative of teleîn “to complete, perform” + -ma noun suffix of result. The final -n in the western Europen languages is unexplained.

Other words from talisman

  • tal·is·man·ic [tal-is-man-ik, -iz-], /ˌtæl ɪsˈmæn ɪk, -ɪz-/, tal·is·man·i·cal, adjective
  • tal·is·man·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby talisman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use talisman in a sentence

  • The words were a talisman on the benumbed faculties of Louis; he hastened forward, and threw himself into the carriage.

  • It was a wonderful talisman, secreted—I fancied in the dream—by the goddess of the Social Revolution.

    Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist | Alexander Berkman
  • The heart of Musa was sprung from the East; the word "fate" was a deadly talisman to him, as to all his race.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • That Arabic word, picked up at hazard from the dragoman, has acted like a talisman—the pest has actually gone!

  • In Celtic myth the Silver Bough played a less sinister part, and figures as a fairy talisman to music and delight.

    Archaic England | Harold Bayley

British Dictionary definitions for talisman

talisman

/ (ˈtælɪzmən) /


nounplural -mans
  1. a stone or other small object, usually inscribed or carved, believed to protect the wearer from evil influences

  2. anything thought to have magical or protective powers

Origin of talisman

1
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

Derived forms of talisman

  • talismanic (ˌtælɪzˈmænɪk), adjective

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