Telesm

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An object inscribed or shaped with magical symbols, believed to bring protection or power to whoever carries it
2. A charm or amulet thought to hold occult power through its engraved figures and the stars under which it was made
3. A talismanic object, often of metal or stone, regarded in folklore as a source of supernatural protection or influence

Etymology: The word "telesm" is a rare, learned form, and its story runs through the same Greek root as "talisman." In ancient Greek, "teleîn" meant "to perform rites" or "to initiate someone into the mysteries," a religious sense that stayed close to the act of completing a sacred ceremony. From it came Medieval Greek "télesma," a thing produced by such a rite, which later passed into New Latin as "telesma." That Latin form is where the word becomes a doublet of "talisman." The two English words descend from the same Greek source but reached English by different routes, so they look and sound only loosely alike. "Talisman" came into the language through Arabic and Medieval Latin, carrying its sense of a charm or amulet, while "telesm" kept the closer Greek-Latin shape of the original.