tefillin
Americanplural noun
Etymology
Origin of tefillin
1605–15; < Hebrew təphillīn, akin to təphillāh prayer
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That rope that tied him to us is still wound around us, like our tefillin, and it always will be.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
"It's the first time that he is wearing tefillin", Bandel said enthusiastically, referring to the small black leather boxes containing Torah scrolls.
From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026
Turns out he was there to conduct a tefillin ceremony.
From Salon • Nov. 16, 2023
Rising on Friday to shared meals and coffee, the protesters dismantled their tents as others prayed with their arms wrapped in tefillin before they all began marching again towards Jerusalem and the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 21, 2023
Slowly, I unwrapped the tefillin from around my arm and lowered its twin from my brow.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
