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

Indeed, whenever a good chance presents itself to reach the Quaker, anywhere and anyhow, through the joints of the harness, the phylactery of Mr. Macaulay seems to have been—semper paratus.

From Dealings with the Dead, Volume I (of 2) by School, A Sexton of the Old

This is a phylactery, containing texts of Scripture written on parchment, and the thongs are for fastening it on the forehead.

From Evangelists of Art Picture-Sermons for Children by Patrick, James

This brought him to the notice of a gentle-souled Portuguese of the crew, a true believer, who made friends with the Scot and earned his confidence before he learned of the shamness of the phylactery.

From The Boy Scouts Book of Stories by Louderback, Walt

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

Before the nodding copse, tangled in its phylacteries, her cry of guilt was the hollow hooting of a nameless bird in a field of desecration.

From Time Magazine Archive

But there has never been such a run on flowing robes, phylacteries and false beards as there is in the studios just now.

From Time Magazine Archive

I quickly unwound my phylacteries and ran to the window.

From "Night" by Elie Wiesel