talisman
noun
tal·is·man
ˈta-ləs-mən 
-ləz-
plural 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
Did you know?
The English language may have borrowed talisman from French, Spanish, or Italian; all three include similar-looking words for a lucky charm that derive from an Arabic word for a charm, ṭilsam. Ṭilsam traces to ancient Greek telein, which means "to initiate into the mysteries."
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 on the Web
At Chloé, the faux fur tassels and antique gold talisman charms successfully transitioned the brand’s bohemian energy from spring to fall.
—
Sandra Salibian, WWD, 17 Mar. 2025
The Athletic’s Mark Carey recently introduced the ‘talisman tax’, which looks at the number of times a player had the last action within their team’s sequence of possession.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
There is also an unknown over the futures of skipper Rohit Sharma and talisman Virat Kohli in this format.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
The mood in the camp is good, even without 37-year-old talisman Roy Krishna, the highest-scoring and most-capped Fiji player of all time.
—Reuters, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for talisman
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Sandra Salibian, WWD, 17 Mar. 2025
The Athletic’s Mark Carey recently introduced the ‘talisman tax’, which looks at the number of times a player had the last action within their team’s sequence of possession.
—Patrick Boyland, The Athletic, 14 Mar. 2025
There is also an unknown over the futures of skipper Rohit Sharma and talisman Virat Kohli in this format.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2025
The mood in the camp is good, even without 37-year-old talisman Roy Krishna, the highest-scoring and most-capped Fiji player of all time.
—Reuters, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for talisman
Cite this Entry
“Talisman.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talisman. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
talisman
noun
tal·is·man
ˈtal-ə-smən
-əz-mən
plural talismans
: a ring or stone carved with symbols and believed to have magical powers : charm
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