talisman
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 4:30 pm
Am I reading this correctly? Did this word take on such a contorted path to English: Greek, then Arabic, then Italian to English?
1630s, from French talisman, in part via Arabic tilsam (plural tilsaman), a Greek loan-word; in part directly from Byzantine Greek telesma "talisman, religious rite, payment," earlier "consecration, ceremony," originally "completion," from telein "perform (religious rites), pay (tax), fulfill," from telos "completion, end, tax" (see tele-).
