a charm against witchcraft, or diseases, &c.

These amulets were made of stone, metal, simples, animals, and, in short, of every thing that imagination could suggest. Amulets sometimes consisted in strange unmeaning words, characters and sentences.—The ancients were extremely fond of amulets. Notwithstanding the progress of learning and refinement, there is not any country in Europe, even at this day, who do not believe in some charm or other.

in cookery. See **OMELET**.