telesm

T1E1L1E1S1M3

noun

A magical talisman, amulet or charm.

OriginNew Latin telesma ← Medieval Greek τέλεσμα ← Ancient Greek τελεῖν →
First used 16th c.Scrabble 8
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Meanings

nountelesm (plural telesms or telesmata)

plural telesms · plural telesmata · alternative telesma

  1. archaicA magical talisman, amulet or charm.First known use 16th c.

    “In all these cases they had held that environment could be modified at will by telesmata or sympathetic figures.”

    1917, Aleister Crowley, Moonchild, Weiser, published 2010, page 108

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
amuletcharmcraftmojophylacterywanga

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekτελεῖν“to perform (rites), to initiate (in the mysteries”
  2. Medieval Greekτέλεσμα
  3. New Latintelesma
  4. Englishtelesm

From New Latin telesma, and its source, Medieval Greek τέλεσμα (télesma), from Ancient Greek τελεῖν (teleîn, “to perform (rites), to initiate (in the mysteries”). Doublet of talisman.

More words from New Latin, Medieval Greek, Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

telesm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telesm

MLA

“telesm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telesm. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “telesm,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telesm.

Source: telesm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.