phylactery

American  

[fi-lak-tuh-ree] / fɪˈlæk tə ri /

noun

• phylacteries
  plural

1. Judaism. either of two small, black, leather cubes containing a piece of parchment inscribed with verses 4–9 of Deuteronomy 6, 13–21 of Deuteronomy 11, and 1–16 of Exodus 13: one is attached with straps to the left arm and the other to the forehead during weekday morning prayers by Orthodox and Conservative Jewish men.

2. (in the early Christian church) a receptacle containing a holy relic.

3. an amulet, charm, or safeguard against harm or danger.

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phylactery British  

/ fɪˈlæktərɪ /

noun

1. Also called: Tefillah. Judaism (usually plural) either of the pair of blackened square cases containing parchments inscribed with biblical passages, bound by leather thongs to the head and left arm, and worn by Jewish men during weekday morning prayers

2. a reminder or aid to remembering

3. archaic an amulet or charm

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• phylacteric
  adjective
• phylacterical
  adjective
• phylacteried
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• phylacteries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of phylactery

First recorded 1350–1400; from Late Latin phylactērium, from Greek phylaktḗrion “outpost, safeguard, amulet,” equivalent to phylak-, stem of phylássein “to protect, guard” + -tērion noun suffix denoting place; replacing Middle English philaterie, from Medieval Latin philatērium, for Late Latin, as above

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

phylactery phylacteries

"Please! You'll ruin my grass. Put that phylactery down! Aw, you broke it. "

From The Verge ● Sep. 9, 2015

Next morning, Miss Scatcherd wrote in conspicuous characters on a piece of pasteboard the word “Slattern,” and bound it like a phylactery round Helen’s large, mild, intelligent, and benign-looking forehead.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

He was, perhaps, something of a Civil Service Pharisee, and wore on his forehead a broad phylactery, stamped with the mark of Crown property.

From The Three Clerks by Anthony Trollope

I unbound my frontlet, taking off the black phylactery, whose memorable sentence, written in white letters, had been visible to myself alone.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 10, No. 60, October, 1862 by Various

Throughout the time of war not a single one of them neglected even the slightest religious ceremony, were it only to put on the phylactery of the forehead before that of the arm.

From The Legends of the Jews — Volume 3 by Paul Radin

An American Jew flying into Amsterdam might have to prove to Dutch authorities that his Israeli-made tefillin, or phylacteries, weren’t made in the holy city of Hebron.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

But they did not don prayer shawls or phylacteries — small cases holding slips inscribed with passages of Scripture bound to the head and arm— that are customarily worn during morning prayers.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2021

“Observant travelers may be wearing a head covering, prayer shawl, and phylacteries — in Hebrew, kippah, tallit, and tefillin,” according to the travel notice on the TSA Web site.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 10, 2014

He works every day but Saturday, rising at 6 a.m. to put on the traditional phylacteries for his prayers.

From Time Magazine Archive

I quickly unwound my phylacteries and ran to the window.

From "Night" by Elie Wiesel