-
Trending Now:
More Trending:
- beleaguer scaramouch non sequitur admiral's mast calumny
- ALL
Definition of talisman
talismans
1 : an object held to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune
2 : something producing apparently magical or miraculous effects
People Are Reading
talisman was our Word of the Day on 11/16/2015. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Examples of talisman in a Sentence
a pendant of white nephrite jade is often worn by Indians as a talisman to ward off heart disease
Recent Examples of talisman from the Web
-
Inspired by talismans, reportedly the first objects truly designed by mankind, the line of unisex jewels is both personal and striking.
-
The ceremonial mask, typically attached to the body as a talisman rather than worn over the face, is like an abstract echo of a human skull.
-
Merlin’s staff, a talisman that attaches itself to Wahlberg’s Autobot-defending Cade Yeager – that bring constantly arriving Transformers, plummeting in space ships from the sky, and eventually, the vengeful leader of their home planet, Cybertron.
-
The McGuffin in this case is a talisman that leads to an ancient superweapon the evil Decepticons want to destroy earth.
-
Surfers from the Wedge Preservation Society spoke of the trees as talismans, with visitors rubbing or tapping the trunks before heading into the water.
-
The glamorous Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, too, coveted the talismans and tokens of success.
-
There will be aggressive truth seekers mingling with folks who don’t give a fig about the talisman.
-
So for me (and my nearby colleagues), having some talisman on which to focus that excess energy is probably helpful on some level.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'talisman'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Do you believe in lucky charms? Language reflects the fact that many people do. We might have borrowed talisman from French, Spanish, or Italian; all three include similar-looking words for a lucky charm. Those three terms derive from a single Arabic word for a charm, tilsam. Tilsam in turn can be traced to the ancient Greek verb telein, which means "to initiate into the mysteries." While the word talisman, in its strictest use, refers to an object, even a human being can be considered a talisman—such as a player on a team whose mere presence somehow causes magical things to happen.
Origin and Etymology of talisman
French talisman or Spanish talismán or Italian talismano; all from Arabic ṭilsam, from Middle Greek telesma, from Greek, consecration, from telein to initiate into the mysteries, complete, from telos end — more at telos
Other Occult Terms
TALISMAN Defined for English Language Learners
talisman
playDefinition of talisman for English Language Learners
-
: an object (such as a ring or stone) that is believed to have magic powers and to cause good things to happen to the person who has it
TALISMAN Defined for Kids
Learn More about talisman
-
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for talisman Spanish Central: Translation of talisman Nglish: Translation of talisman for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of talisman for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up talisman? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!