Where does “talismanic” come from?
Talismanic comes from English talisman plus the suffix -ique from French, -icus from Latin, and -kos from Proto-Indo-European, ultimately deriving from the Proto-Indo-European root kʷel-.
talismanic (English): Of, relating to, or like, a talisman; Possessing...
Definitions
- Of, relating to, or like, a talisman; Possessing...
Ancestry of “talismanic”, step by step
talismanic traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English talisman
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | talisman | A magical object providing protection against ill... |
| 2 | French | talisman | talisman |
| 3 | Arabic | طلسم | enigma; talisman; seal inscribed with cryptic... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | τέλεσμα | payment, toll, taxes; certificate |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | τελέω | to bring about, complete, fulfill; to perform,... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | τέλος | completion, accomplishment, fulfillment,... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μέρος | part, component, region; share, portion; one's... |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | *(h)méros | — |
via French talismanique
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | talismanique | talismanic |
| 2 | French | -ique | Used to form adjectives from nouns: -ic, -ical,... |
| 3 | Middle French | -ique | ic |
| 4 | Old French | -ique | -ic |
| 5 | Latin | -icus | belonging to; derived from; of or pertaining to;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *-ikos | forms adjectives with the sense of 'of or pertaining to' |