What does talisman mean?
Word: Talisman
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Talisman means an object that people believe brings good luck or protects the person who owns it; also a person who brings a team luck and success.
Synonyms: charm, amulet, mascot
Word origin: Came into English through French or Spanish from Arabic tilsam, from Greek telesma, 'a completion' or 'a religious rite'.
How do you spell talisman?
Syllables: tal - is - man
Tricky part: Although it ends in -man, the plural is talismans, not talismen, because the word has nothing to do with men.
Watch out for: talismen, talismun
Memory tip: A talisman is not a man, so two of them are talismans.
Talisman in a sentence
Example 1: Kenji always carried a small brass elephant as a talisman before his exams.
Example 2: The captain has been the team's talisman this season, scoring in every match.
Example 3: In the folk tale, the talisman glowed whenever the prince chose the right road.
Fun Fact
Sir Walter Scott called one of his novels The Talisman (1825); in it, the talisman is a charm said to cure fevers.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) stamina
b) tallisman
c) pelican
d) caravan
Show answer
b) tallisman. Talisman has a single l after ta, just as pelican has a single l after pe.
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
tal_ _man
a) as
b) us
c) os
d) is
Show answer
d) is. The middle vowel is i, followed by s, before the -man ending.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
malsinta
a) a kind of thick woollen blanket
b) a flat piece of wood used in games
c) a large black bird
d) something kept close because it is said to ward off bad luck
Show answer
d) something kept close because it is said to ward off bad luck. Unscrambled, the eight letters give the word for a lucky charm.
Word Tally
How many words are misspelt in the given sentence?
Grandpa keeps an old coin in his wallet as a talisman for long train journeys.
a) 1
b) 0
c) 2
d) 3
Show answer
b) 0. Every word in the sentence is spelt correctly.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Ines says her blue pen is her talisman in exams. What does she believe?
a) it helps her do well
b) it writes the neatest
c) it was the cheapest pen
d) it never runs out of ink
Show answer
a) it helps her do well
2. When a sports writer calls a player the team's talisman, what is meant?
a) inspires and lifts the team
b) is often late for training
c) rarely leaves the bench
d) is the youngest on the team
Show answer
a) inspires and lifts the team
