From Greek 'kharisma' (divine gift), from 'kharis' (grace) — originally a theological term for gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Compelling attractiveness or charm that inspires devotion in others.
From Greek 'kharisma' (χάρισμα, divine gift, favor freely given, grace), from 'kharis' (grace, beauty, goodwill, gratitude), from PIE *gʰer- (to desire, to like, to be fond of). Kharisma in early Christian theology — especially Paul's letters (1st century CE) — referred to specific gifts of the Holy Spirit: healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues. The plural 'charismata' denoted these spiritual endowments collectively. The sociologist Max Weber secularized the term in the early 20th century to describe a type of authority based on
Max Weber secularized it in the 1920s as a type of political authority.