phylactery
Meaningprotective charm
Common meaning: small leather box containing scriptural passages worn in Jewish prayer
- phylacteryprotective charmSkeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), p. 440 · scan
Journey through time
- Greekφυλακτήριον‘protective charm’source
- Latinmeaning shiftsprotective charm → amuletphylacterium‘amulet’source
- Old Frenchfilatere‘amulet’source
- Middle Englishfilateriesource
- Englishmeaning shiftsamulet → small leather box containing scriptural passages worn in Jewish prayerphylactery‘small leather box containing scriptural passages worn in Jewish prayer’ · today
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
- US IPA: not available. Respelling: generated.
Origin: Built on Greek φυλακτήριον ‘protective charm’.
Roots
- φυλακτήριον Greek “protective charm”
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