Phylacter

//fɪˈlæktə// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Synonym of phylactery. obsolete

    "Men full of appearing sanctity , observant to traditions , and skilful expositors of the Mosaical Law , wearing the precepts thereof in phylacters (narrow scrolls of parchment) bound about their brows and above their left elbows"

Example

More examples

"Men full of appearing sanctity , observant to traditions , and skilful expositors of the Mosaical Law , wearing the precepts thereof in phylacters (narrow scrolls of parchment) bound about their brows and above their left elbows"

Etymology

Borrowed from French phylactère, from Middle French filatiere, philaterie, philatiere, and Old French filatiere, philatiere (“amulet; reliquary; tefilla”), from Late Latin phylacterium (“amulet; reliquary; tefilla”), from Koine Greek φῠλᾰκτήρῐον (phŭlăktḗrĭon, “amulet; tefilla”) (used in the New Testament to translate Hebrew תפילין (“tefillin”)), from Ancient Greek φῠλᾰκτήρῐον (phŭlăktḗrĭon, “fortified outpost, watchman’s post; protection, safeguard”), from φυλακτήρ (phulaktḗr, “guard, watcher”) + -ῐον (-ĭon, suffix forming nouns). Φυλακτήρ (Phulaktḗr) is derived from φυλακ- (phulak-) (the stem of φῠλᾰ́σσω (phŭlắssō, “to guard, watch; to defend, protect”)) + -τήρ (-tḗr, suffix forming masculine agent nouns); and φῠλᾰ́σσω (phŭlắssō) from φῠ́λᾰξ (phŭ́lăx, “guard, sentry”), probably Pre-Greek.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.