talisman

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈtæl.ɪsˌmæn/, /ˈtæl.ɪz.mən/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French talisman,^[2][3][4] or Spanish talismán or Italian talismano,^[2][4] all from Arabic طِلَسْم (ṭilasm),^[2][4][5] from Byzantine Greek télesma “talisman, religious rite”,^[3][2][4] earlier “consecration”, from Ancient Greek τελεῖν (teleîn, “to complete, perform rites”), from télos “end, fulfilment”.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first named a stone, ring or other object engraved with figures or characters thought to have occult powers.^[6][3][5]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, anything that acts as a charm or brings about extraordinary results, is recorded by 1784.^[3][6] An unrelated, now obsolete talisman meant a Muslim religious scholar.^[6][1]

Timeline

• 1599 – an unrelated talisman for a mullah.^[6]
• 1630s – an engraved magical figure;^[3] Merriam-Webster and the OED date it 1638.^[4][6]
• 1784 – figurative sense.^[3][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An object believed to give its bearer magical protection or powers; a charm.
2. Anything that seems to have a magical or powerful effect.

Word family

• talismanic
• talismanically

Related words

• telos
• amulet

References

1. [1] [2] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. [1] [2] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
6. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press