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INDO-EUROPEAN & SEMITIC ROOTS APPENDICES
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT
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n. pl. tal·is·mans 1. An object marked with magic signs and believed to confer on its bearer supernatural powers or protection. 2. Something that apparently has magic power. [Ultimately (probably via French talisman) from alteration of Arabic ṭilasmāt, pl. of ṭilasm, talisman, from Late Greek telesma, from Greek telein, to fulfill, consecrate, endow with magic power, from telos, result; see kwel-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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