talisman
Use Talisman in a sentence
ɪs 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.
3.
anything whose presence exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings or actions.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To talisman
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Talisman
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is saturnine. Does it mean:
| lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere: |
| sluggish in temperament; gloomy or taciturn |
Collins
World English Dictionary
talisman (ˈtælɪzmən) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl -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 |
| [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] | |
| talismanic | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
talisman
1630s, from Fr. talisman, in part via Arabic tilsam (pl. tilsaman), a Gk. loan-word; in part directly from Byzantine Gk. telesma "talisman, religious rite, payment," earlier "consecration, ceremony," originally "completion," from telein "perform (religious rites), pay (tax), fulfill," from telos "completion,
end, tax" (see tele-).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
And dissidents everywhere now have a stirring precedent and talisman to invoke.
The words have become a weird talisman and are applied way, way out of context.
It was accessorized by the ultimate talisman of middle-school innocence, a headband.
He likes to illustrate the point with an ancient talisman of the hypnotic trade: the pocket watch hanging on a chain.
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