Emily Dickinson Lexicon

AM'U-LET, n. [L. amuletum; Fr. amulette; Sp, amuleto; from L. amolior, amolitus, to remove.]

Something worn as a remedy or preservative against evils or mischief, such as diseases and witchcraft. Amulets, in days of ignorance, were common. They consisted of certain stones, metals, or plants; sometimes of words, characters, or sentences, arranged in a particular order. They were appended to the neck or body. Among some nations they are still in use. – Encyc.