Charism and charisma are two words with overlapping meanings. We will examine the definitions of charism and charisma, where these terms came form and some examples of their use in sentences.
A charism is a talent or ability bestowed by a divine power. In Christian theology, this conferred power should be used for the good of the church and community. The word charism is derived from the Greek word kharisma, which means divine gift. The plural form of charism may either be rendered as charisms or charismata.
Charisma is someone’s charm, his ability to inspire and ability to lead, his attractiveness. Charisma is a noun, the adjective form is charismatic. The secondary meaning of charisma is the definition of charism, an ability bestowed by a divine power. However, it is uncommon to see the word charisma used this way. The word charisma is also derived from the Greek word kharisma. Charisma is a mass noun, which is a noun that can not be counted and does not have a plural form.
Examples
And they receive formation at the novitiate that is specific to their charism, said Sister Helena, who is from Nigeria. (The St. Louis Review)
C. Reynold Verret, president of Xavier University of Louisiana, told CNA that the spirit and charism of St. Katharine Drexel, foundress of the school, continue strongly on campus today. (The Catholic News Agency)
Ramaphosa spoke these banalities with charm, fluency, charisma and apparent conviction, which posed a stark contrast to the hesitant, monotonous bumbling of his predecessor. (The Daily Maverick)
Charismatic, occasionally rude, Miloš Zeman won the second round of presidential election in the Czech Republic leaving behind mediocre but always polite, pro-European and pro-American Jiri Drahos. (Eurasia Daily)