Meanings
plural phylacters
- obsoleteSynonym of phylactery.
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
1636, George Sandys, Christ's Passion (Annotations)Synonyms: phylactery
Synonyms & antonyms
nounSynonym of phylactery.
Origin
- Pre-Greek
- Ancient Greekφῠλᾰκτήρῐον“fortified outpost, watchman’s post; protection, safeguard”
- Koine Greekφῠλᾰκτήρῐον“amulet; tefilla”
- Late Latinphylacterium“amulet; reliquary; tefilla”
- Old Frenchfilatiere
- Middle Frenchfilatiere
- Frenchphylactère
- Englishphylacter
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.
More words from French, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with phylacter
Anagrams
Cite this entry
phylacter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phylacter
“phylacter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phylacter. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “phylacter,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/phylacter.
Source: phylacter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.