tefillin

or te·phil·lin

[ Ashkenazic Hebrew, English tuh-fil-in; Sephardic Hebrew tuh-fee-leen ]

plural noun

, Judaism.

1. the phylacteries.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tefillin¹

1605–15; < Hebrew təphillīn, akin to təphillāh prayer

Example Sentences

Some of the women had wrapped themselves in traditionally male religious garments like tallit and tefillin, and others had not.

From The Daily Beast

These phylacteries (tefillin in Hebrew) are still used by orthodox Jewish men.

From Project Gutenberg