Noun: talisman
| Singular | talisman |
| Plural | talismans |
Sample Sentences
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That woman’s love is a talisman by which he holds and hopes to get his safety. [1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 29, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:]
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I have in my possession three Magic Talismans, which I have ever guarded with utmost care, keeping the knowledge of their existence from anyone else. [1916, Frank Baum, chapter 1, in Rinkitink in Oz:]
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Dagobert gave him back his passport. He re-pocketed it indifferently; a talisman which had lost its potency. [1956, Delano Ames, chapter 17, in Crime out of Mind:]
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She kept low, clutching the rifle she'd taken as though it were a magic talisman, as if it would somehow protect her even though she didn't fire it. [1997, John Peel, chapter 10, in War of the Daleks, page 233:]
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Mata would soon whip in the cross that allowed Drogba to equalise – and Chelsea went on to win the Champions League, beating the German club on penalties, with their talisman from the Ivory Coast making history with the final spot-kick. [2018 January 1, Donald McRae, “The Guardian footballer of the year 2017: Juan Mata”, in the Guardian:]
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. See: French Nouns '
talisman', Ancient Greek Nouns '
τέλεσμα'.