Talisman
noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A magical object providing protection against ill will, or the supernatural, or conferring the wearer with a boon such as good luck, good health, or power(s).
"That woman’s love is a talisman by which he holds and hopes to get his safety."
- 2 A mullah (Islamic religious scholar). India, obsolete
- 3 a trinket or piece of jewelry usually hung about the neck and thought to be a magical protection against evil or disease wordnet
- 1 To adorn with a talisman. transitive
"The second in his saddle reeled, / Down thundered man and horse;— / Oft I essayed with blow and thrust, / As oft a foeman rolled in dust; / But, ah, what could a single arm, / Though talismaned by beauty’s charm, / Against a host?—for love—for life— / I waged awhile the desperate strife; / ’T was vain—I fell—was left for dead— / And rescued was th’ unwilling maid!"
Example
More examples"With this talisman, you can ward off any and all evil spirits."
Etymology
From French talisman, partly from Arabic طِلَّسْم (ṭillasm, “payment”), from Ancient Greek τέλεσμα (télesma, “payment”); and partly directly from Byzantine Greek τέλεσμα (télesma, “talisman, religious rite, completion”), from τελέω (teléō, “to perform religious rites, to complete”), from τέλος (télos, “end, fulfillment, accomplishment, consummation, completion”). Doublet of telesm.
Uncertain. Perhaps a corruption of some Arabic word.
Related phrases
More for "talisman"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.