Etymology Dictionary

TALISMAN,  a spell.  (Span.,—Arab.,—Gk.)   'In magic, talisman, and cabal;' Butler, Hudibras, pt. i. c. I. l. 530.   The F. is also talisman, but is a late word; both F. and E. words were prob. taken directly from Spanish.—Span. talisman, a magical character; also a doctor of the Mohammedan law, in which sense Littré notes its use in French also.—Arab. tilsam, or tilism, 'a talisman or magical image, upon which, under a certain horoscope, are engraved mystical characters, as charms against enchantment;' Rich. Dict. p. 974.   [Diez thinks that the Span. talisman was derived rather from the Arab. pl. tilsamán than from the sing. form; which is probable enough.]—Gk. τέλεσμα, a payment; used in late Gk. to mean initiation or mystery (Devic); cf. τελεσμός, an accomplishment or completion.—Gk. τελέειν, to accomplish, fulfil, complete, end; also, to pay.—Gk. &tauέλος, end, completion.—✔TAR, to pass over; cf. Skt. trí, to pass over, accomplish, fulfil, conquer.   It is remarkable that, from the same root, we have Skt. tara, a passage, also a spell for banishing demons (Benfey); so also Gk. &tauέλος means initiation into a mystery, whence the sense of the derived sb. τέλεσμα.   Der. talisman-ic.